£(brarjp  of t:he  theological  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON    .    NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

Rev.  J.C,  Backus,  D.D.,  LLD. 
Baltimore,  Md. 

J3S/4-30 
•Ci4-7 


;^sroFPmS^ 


PAROCHIAL   LEG' 


^M:l^ 


ON 


THE    PSALMS 


BY   THE    LATE 

Rev.    DAVID^CALDWELL,   A.M. 


Psalms    1 — 50. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
WILLIAM   S.   &  ALFRED   MARTIEN, 

No.  606  Chestnut  Street. 
1859. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1859,  by 

"WILLIAM  S.  &  ALFRED  MARTIEN, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District 
of  Pennsylvania. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

LECTURE  ON  PSALM  1 13—24 

PSALM  II 25—35 

PSALM  III 35—45 

PSALM  IV 46—58 

PSALM  V 59—72 

PSALM  VI 72—82 

PSALM  VII 82—92 

PSALM  VIII 93—103 

PSALM  IX 104—116 

PSALM  X 116—127 

PSALM  XI 128—138 

PSALM  XII 139—147 

PSALM  XIII 147—155 

PSALM  XIV 155—164 

PSALM  XV 164—175 

PSALM  XVI 175—188 

PSALM  XVII 188—201 

PSALM  XVm.     1-27 201—213 

PSALM  XVIIL     28-50 213—225 

PSALM  XIX 226—240 

PSALM  XX 240—251 

PSALM  XXI 251—263 

PSALM  XXIL     1-13 263—277 

PSALM  XXIL     14-31 277—291 

PSALM  XXIII 291—305 

PSALM  XXIV 305—315 

PSALM  XXV 316—326 


4  CONTENTS. 

PAaB 

LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXVI 326—337 

PSALM  XXVII 337—347 

PSALM  XXVIII 347—357 

PSALM  XXIX 357—368 

PSALM  XXX 368—378 

PSALM  XXXI 379—389 

PSALM  XXXII 389—403 

PSALM  XXXIII 403—413 

PSALM  XXXIV 414—427 

PSALM  XXXV 427—439 

PSALM  XXXVI 440—448 

PSALM  XXXVII 449—460 

PSALM  XXXVIII 461—471 

PSALM  XXXIX 472—480 

PSALM  XL 481—492 

PSALM  XLI 492—501 

PSALMS  XLIL  AND  XLIII 502—513 

PSALM  XLIV 514—525 

PSALM  XLV 526—538 

PSALM  XLVI 538—548 

PSALM  XLVII 548—557 

PSALM  XLVIII 557—568 

PSALM  XLIX 568—578 

PSALM  L 579—586 


fiEC.  NOV  1881  \ 

THEOLOGIG:S.Li 

PUBLISHER'S  ADVERTISEllEXT. 


The  author  of  the  following  work,  the  Rev.  David 
Caldwell,  was  a  well-known  clergyman  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  in  the  diocese  of  Virginia.  Ordained 
in  1841,  by  the  venerable  Bishop  Moore,  during  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Diocesan  Convention  at  Alexandria,  he  took 
charge  first  of  several  country  congregations  in  Amherst 
county,  in  that  State ;  removed  subsequently  to  St.  Paul's 
church  in  the  city  of  Norfolk :  thence,  after  some  years' 
useful  service,  returned  again,  with  health  exceedingly 
enfeebled,  to  the  neighbourhood  of  his  former  charge. 
The  healthful  air  and  comparatively  light  duties  of  an 
upland  and  interior  parish,  sufficiently  invigorated  his 
exhausted  strength  to  enable  him,  after  two  or  three  years 
of  labour  in  the  country,  to  venture  once  more  on  a  city 
rectorship  in  Christ  Church,  Georgetown,  District  of  Colum- 
bia. But  here  again  his  health,  at  all  times  feeble,  failed; 
and  he  retired,  after  little  more  than  two  years,  to  Hanover 
county,  Virginia,  exchanging  parishes  with  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Norwood.  Discouraged  in  Hanover  by  a  fire  which  con- 
sumed his  dwelling,  with  an  excellent  library  which  he  had 
been  gathering  for  many  years,  he  was  induced,  after  no 
great  length  of  time,  to  accept  the  Avealthier  rectorship  of 
St.  James's  Church,  Sherburne  parish,  Leesburg,  Virginia, 
where,  in  the  autumn  of  1858,  he  died. 

Clear  in  his  views  of  doctrine ;    comprehensive   in    his 
1* 


6  ADVERTISEMENT. 

grasp  of  truth ;  with  a  penetrating  intellect,  a  wonderful 
fertility  of  illustration,  and  a  more  than  ordinary  measure 
of  logical  and  oratoric  power;  he  was  extensively  popular 
both  as  a  pastor  and  a  preacher ;  drew  always  large  audi- 
ences around  him;  and,  but  for  his  extreme  fragility  of 
constitution,  might  easily  have  taken  rank  with  the  most 
eminent  of  our  American  divines. 

The  idea  of  a  practical  Commentary  on  the  Psalms  of 
David,  unincumbered  with  critical  discussions,  and  adapted 
to  the  furtherance  of  the  Divine  life  within  the  soul,  was 
conceived  by  him  while  in  charge  of  his  last  church  in 
Leesburg,  and  carried  out,  in  the  form  of  Lectures  to  his 
people,  as  far  as  the  present  work  extends.  At  the  close 
of  the  Commentary  on  the  Fiftieth  Psalm,  the  hand  that 
held  the  pen  began  to  falter;  and,  after  a  few  weeks  of 
hopeful  but  vain  struggle  with  disease,  a  calm  and  Christian 
death  well  closed  a  useful  life. 

Only  one-third  of  his  projected  work  upon  the  Psalms 
was  finished  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  But  as  this  was 
entirely  complete  within  itself;  contained  fresh  and  valuable 
thoughts  on  the  sacred  compositions  it  embraced ;  and  had  in 
it  much  that  was  "profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for 
correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness;"  his  family  have 
thought  that  the  interests  of  religion,  as  well  as  the  desire 
of  friends,  claimed  of  them  the  publication  of  it  as  far  as  it 
had  gone.  It  is,  accordingly,  given  to  the  world  with  the 
prayer  that  God  may  make  it,  through  his  Spirit,  a  means 
of  enlarging  men's  acquaintance  with  his  truth,  and  of 
promoting  its  benign  and  purifying  influence  on  human 
character. 

Philadelphia,  October,  1859. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Perhaps  there  is  no  other  portion  of  the  word  of 
God,  except  the  Gospels,  more  generally  read  by 
Christians  than  the  Psalms  of  David.  We  wonder 
not  at  this:  for  it  matters  not  what  onr  frame  of 
mind  may  be,  whether  joyful,  or  sorrowful;  hopeful, 
or  full  of  fears,  we  here  find  words  that  express  our 
feelings  as  no  other  words  can.  Nor  is  it  the  mind 
of  the  believer  alone  which  these  sacred  lyrics 
describe,  but  also  the  mind  of  the  man  who  says  in 
his  heart,  "There  is  no  God."  They  reveal  the 
thoughts  that  fill  and  the  feelings  that  agitate 
the  heart  of  each.  They  also  reveal  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  of  one  other  heart,  the  thoughts  and 
feelings  of  the  heart  of  Him  of  whom  it  is  writ- 
ten, "  He  is  love."  Moreover,  there  is  not  an  aspect 
of  nature,  endless  as  it  is  in  its  scenes  of  beauty  and 
sublimity,  which  is  not  here  depicted  with  a  vivid- 
ness, fidelity  of  outline,  filling  up,  and  colouring,  to 
which  the  highest  achievements  of  the  unaided 
human  intellect  in  the  same  direction  are  but  dis- 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

tant  approaches.  In  their  descriptions  of  nature,  of 
God,  and  of  man,  the  Psalms  stand  alone.  But  not- 
withstanding the  lively  and  peculiar  interest,  as  well 
as  profit,  with  which  even  the  general  reader  peruses 
the  Psalms,  there  is  no  part  of  the  word  of  God  less 
understood  in  the  full  import  of  their  meaning. 
This  is  owing  in  some  instances  to  the  extreme  anti- 
quity of  the  Psalms,  and  to  their  describing  man- 
ners, customs,  and  institutions,  which  now  exist,  in 
many  cases,  only  in  the  writings  of  the  antiquarian. 
The  imagery,  too,  that  through  which  the  thought 
and  feeling  of  the  inspired  singer  are  generally 
expressed  in  their  greatest  force  and  beauty,  is  often 
obscure,  and  needs  to  be  explained.  Moreover, 
many  of  the  Psalms  are  historical  in  their  origin, 
and  inexplicable  till  the  historical  key  is  discovered; 
personal,  and  not  to  be  understood,  until  the  person 
to  whom  they  refer  has  been  pointed  out.  This  the 
author  of  the  following  Parochial  Lectures  on  the 
Psalms  has  aimed  to  do.  The  Psalms  are  not  only 
2i  field  of  jewels,  where  he  who  gathers  only  that 
which  lies  on  their  surface,  enriches  himself,  but 
also  a  mine  of  spiritual  wealth,  where  he  who  has 
sunk  his  shaft  deepest,  has  always  returned,  report- 
ing treasures  in  undiminished  abundance  and  in- 
creasing richness  still  below  the  lowest  depth  to 
which  he  had  carried  on  his  work. 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

It  has  been  the  wish  of  the  author  of  the  follow- 
ing exposition  of  the  Psalms,  to  put  the  reader  in 
possession  of  the  wealth  beneath^  as  well  as  that 
upon  their  surface.  This  he  has  aimed  to  accom- 
plish by  so  explaining  the  language,  imagery,  and 
allusions,  historical  or  personal,  of  the  verse  or 
psalm,  as  to  bring  out  the  thought  of  the  inspired 
singer,  together  with  the  feeling  with  which  we 
may  suppose  him  to  have  uttered  it.  His  great  aim 
has  been  to  present  all  those  who  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  gospel,  a  book  of  thoughts  on 
the  Psalms,  derived  directly  from  a  truthful  exposi- 
tion of  the  Psalms  themselves.  He  has  laboured  to 
get  at  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  in  the  psalm,  and  in 
every  part  of  the  psalm,  and  having,  as  he  hoped, 
ascertained  that,  he  has  been  satisfied  with  giving  it 
utterance  without  blending  words  of  his  own  with  it. 
In  treating  the  Psalms  in  this  way  only,  did  the 
author  think  that  he  could  make  them  what  they 
in  fact  are,  utterances  of  the  universal  human  heart, 
and  also  of  the  heart  of  Him  in  whose  hand  are  the 
hearts  of  us  all,  to  turn  and  fashion  us  as  he  will. 
Allowing  the  Psalms  to  utter  themselves  only  in 
their  own  inspired  voice,  it  is  impossible  to  make 
them  speak  in  the  tones  of  any  sect  or  party. 

The  publication  of  the  following  Lectures  has 
been  urged  upon  the  author  as,  in  some  measure, 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

meeting  what  has  been  felt  by  many  to  be  really  a 
want  in  the  literature  of  our  Church,  viz.  a  plain, 
exegetical,  evangelical,  and  practical  exposition  of 
the  Psalms  for  the  laity.  The  author  hopes  that 
his  exposition  may  prove  acceptable  and  useful  to 
his  brethren  of  the  clergy:  still  he  must  say,  that  he 
has  not  written  for  the  pulpit,  but  for  the  pew.  "We 
have  never  failed  to  feel  the  want  of  such  an  exposi- 
tion on  going  through  the  Psalter  of  our  Prayer 
Book.  How  many  hundreds  of  times  have  we  felt, 
as  we  were  repeating  its  sacred  words,  that  there 
was  a  deeper  meaning,  and  in  some  cases,  another 
meaning  in  the  words,  than  that  which  appears  in  the 
literal  sense,  and  which  meaning,  some  brief  explana- 
tion would  bring  out  in  all  its  force  and  beauty.  It 
has  been  the  aim  of  the  author  of  the  following  Lec- 
tures to  furnish  the  explanation  required,  and  so  to 
write,  that  an  intelligent  child  could  understand  him. 
That  he  has  in  every  instance  succeeded  in  giving 
the  right,  or  even  more  probable,  explanation,  would 
be  a  piece  of  extreme  vanity  in  him  to  assume.  He 
can  only  say  that  others,  in  whose  judgment  he  con- 
fides more  than  he  does  in  his  own,  have  assured 
him  that  he  has  shed  an  amount  of  exegetical  light 
over  the  Psalms  in  his  Lectures,  which  not  only  jus- 
tifies, but  calls  for  their  publication.  Of  the  correct- 
ness of  their  judgment  the  reader  of  the  Lectures 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

must  judge  for  himself.  No  one  can  be  more  con- 
scious of  their  defects  than  the  author  is;  and  he 
regrets  that  delicate  health  obliges  him  to  send  them 
to  the  press  in  nearly  the  same  imperfect  form  in 
which  he  delivered  them  to  his  people  from  the 
desk.  He  has  forborne  revising  and  re-writing, 
except  to  a  very  limited  extent,  lest  he  should  con- 
sume strength  which  he  will  need  in  going  on  with 
the  work  to  its  completion. 

Such,  however,  as  it  is,  the  author  humbly  conse- 
crates his  work  to  Him  for  the  promotion  of  whose 
truth  and  glory  he  hopes  it  was  undertaken — the 
blessed  Messiah — seen  more  conspicuously  in  the 
Psalms,  in  greater  power  and  majesty,  than  in  any 
other  portion  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures. 

The  author  would  simply  add  in  conclusion,  that 
his  work  has  been  its  own  exceeding  great  reward. 
The  hours  spent  in  studying  out*  and  composing 
these  Lectures  on  the  Psalms,  have  been  among  the 
happiest  of  his  life.  Day  and  night  his  meditation 
thereon  has  been  sweet  indeed.  His  walk  through 
them  has  been  as  that  through  a  garden,  where,  the 
farther  you  advance,  the  richer  the  flowers  become 
in  fragrance  and  colouring.  If  the  reader  shall  ex- 
perience a  tithe  of  the  pleasure  in  reading  the  follow- 

*  The  author  has  read  every  wi-iter  on  the  Psalms  he  could  lay  his 
bauds  on — has  gotten  good  from  all — but  acknowledges  special  indebted- 
ness to  Hammond,  Home,  Poole,  Calvin,  and  Hengstenberg, 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

ing  exposition  of  the  Psalms  which  the  author  has 
experienced  in  writing  it,  he  will  feel,  that  his  labour 
has  not  been  lost,  nor  the  reader's  time  throAvn  away. 
Finally,  as  he  has  written  his  exposition  for  the 
laity,  the  author  here  dedicates  it  to  the  laity,  and 
especially  to  those  noble  laymen  of  Virginia,  and  of 
one  other  dear  place  of  the  author's  pastoral  duty,* 
whose  kindness  to  him  has  been  so  unparalleled! 
Such  sympathy,  such  earnest  co-operation  in  every 
good  work ;  such  ready  acceptance  of  such  services 
as  could  be  rendered;  such  tender  and  persistent 
blindness  to  his  many  infirmities;  and  above  all, 
such  liberality  as  the  author  has  experienced  from 
so  many  noble  men  and  noble  women,  he  can  never 
forget,  and  here  records  with  gratitude.  Often  has 
the  thought  been  present  to  his  mind,  while  engaged 
in  the  onerous  duties  of  his  study,  that  if  he  should 
be  led  to  write  anytliing  that  would  bring  any  in- 
crease of  Divine  light  to  their  minds,  or  of  Divine 
consolation  to  their  hearts,  it  would  be  a  reward 
abundantly  sufficient  to  compensate  him  for  all  the 
labour  of  his  work.  God  grant  that  this  reward  of 
his  labour  may  not  be  denied,  but  abundantly  granted 

to  the  author. 

3.  0. 

Leesburg,  Virginia,  October  1858. 

*  Christ  Church,  Georgetown,  District  of  Columbia. 


"^ 


^arirjiial  Jectiirts  m  tlje  ^saints* 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  L 


The  Psalms  have  been  justly  regarded  as  an  epi- 
tome of  the  whole  Bible.  They  contain  so  much  of 
the  substance  of  both  Testaments,  of  God  and  his 
law,  of  Christ  and  his  gospel,  that  they  may  be  con- 
sidered as  an  abstract  of  both.  Their  inspiration 
is  settled  by  our  Lord,  saying,  "All  things  must 
be  fulfilled  which  were  written  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
and  in  the  Prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms,  concerning 
me."  Luke  xxiv.  44.  They  are,  in  the  highest 
conceivable  sense,  poetical,  religious,  and  devotional 
compositions,  set  to  music  in  the  original  Hebrew, 
and  designed  to  be  sung  in  both  the  public  and  pri- 
vate devotions  of  the  people.  They  number  one 
hundred  and  fifty  in  all ;  and  are,  in  the  Hebrew  and 
Greek  versions  of  the  Scriptures,  divided  into  five 
books ;  the  first  book  ending  with  psalm  the  forty- 
first;  the  second,  with  the  seventy-second;  the  third, 
with  the  eighty-ninth ;  the  fourth,  with  the  one  hun- 
dred and  sixth ;  the  fifth,  with  the  one  hundred  and 
fiftieth ;  and  each  final  psalm  with  a  doxology,  except 
the  last,  which  may  be  considered  as  being  in  itself 
2 


14  LECTURES  OK  THE  PSALMS. 

the  high-sounding  doxology  of  the  ■whole.  The 
Septuagint,  and  the  translations  following  it,  in  par- 
ticular the  translation  used  by  the  Eoman  Catholic 
Church,  called  the  Vulgate,  make  but  one  psalm  of 
the  ninth  and  tenth,  and  also  but  one  of  the  one 
hundred  and  fourteenth  and  one  hundred  and  fif- 
teenth; but  separate  the  one  hundred  and  sixteenth 
and  one  hundred  and  forty-seventh  into  two  each, 
so  that  their  numbering  is  in  the  end  the  same  as 
ours  and  that  of  the  Hebre^v,  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
It  is  important  to  remember  this  diversity  in  division 
and  numbering,  especially  as  Roman  Catholic  writers 
for  the  most  part  cite  according  to  the  Greek  and 
Latin  versions  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  Septuagint 
and  the  Vulgate.  Most  of  the  psalms  are  ascribed  to 
David,  who  is  styled  "the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel." 
2  Sam,  xxiii.  1.  Many  of  them  bear  his  name, 
and  many  more  not  bearing  his  name,  are  as  confi- 
dently ascribed  to  his  pen.  His  acknowledged  effu- 
sions, however,  so  far  out-number  those  of  all  the 
sacred  poets  beside,  as  those  of  Moses,  Solomon, 
Asaph,  Ezra,  and  others,  that  the  whole  collection  is 
styled.  The  Psalms  of  David.  The  present  arrange- 
ment of  the  Psalms,  as  to  number,  and  also  as  to 
connection — where  there  is  any  connection  between 
them,  either  of  similarity  or  of  contrast — is  generally 
believed  to  be  the  work  of  Ezra,  who  is  supposed  to 
have  lived  until  about  the  year  four  hundred  and 
fifty-six  before  the  advent  of  our  Lord. 

The  first  psalm  is  supposed  to  have  been  written 
by  Ezra,  and  designed  by  him  to  serve  as  a  preface 
to  the  whole  collection.  It  is  therefore  general  in 
its  terms.     It  sketches  with  a  graphic  pen  the  oppo- 


PSALM   I.  15 

site  characters  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  and 
the  invariable  connection  between  virtue  and  happi- 
ness, vice  and  misery.  It  may,  therefore,  be  regarded 
as  the  key-note  of  the  teaching  of  every  other  psahn, 
indeed  as  the  key-note  of  the  teaching  of  the  whole 
of  inspiration,  which  is,  God  loveth  the  righteous^  hut 
is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day.  The  righteous 
man,  to  whom  alone  blessedness  belongs,  it  first 
describes  negatively — then  positively;  tells  us  first 
what  he  is  not — then  what  he  is.  He  is  one  who 
has  not  only  ceased  to  do  evil,  but  learned  to  do 
well. 

Verse  1.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of 
the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth 
in  the  seat  of  the  scornful. 

We  have  in  these  words  the  first  part  of  the 
answer  to  the  question,  "O  where  shall  rest  be 
found,  rest  for  the  weary  soulf  The  first  step 
toward  the  attainment  of  the  bliss  for  which  we  sigh, 
is  ceasing  to  do  evil.  The  words,  ungodly^  sinners, 
scornful.,  are  thought  by  some  to  describe  three  sepa- 
rate grades  or  classes  of  transgressors ;  and  the  words, 
walketh,  standeth,  sitteth,  three  separate  grades  or 
degrees  of  sinning.  The  ungodly  of  this  verse  are 
therefore  thought  to  be,  not  the  openly  wicked,  but 
only  those  who  are  without  God  in  the  icorld.  We 
meet  with  such  in  every  community  where  the  gos- 
pel is  preached.  They  are  moral,  amiable,  intelli- 
gent, cultivated,  refined — but  live  only  for  this  world. 
God  is  in  none  of  their  thoughts  as  an  object  of  love 
and  adoration,  and  his  glory  enters  into  none  of  their 
plans  for  life.  They  pursue  earthly  ends  and  earthly 
pleasures,  as  if  God   had   given   them   being  and 


16  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

endowed  them  with  minds  for  no  other  purpose.  Of 
course,  too,  living  only  for  this  world,  their  standard 
of  right  and  wrong  savours  only  of  this  world. 
They  reckon  that  they  are  quite  upright  if  they  are, 
morally,  not  worse  than  their  equals  in  social  stand- 
ing ;  that  there  can  be  no  harm  in  conforming  to  the 
principles  and  practices  of  those  with  whom  they 
are  associated  in  life.  Like  to  none  of  this  class  of 
persons  is  the  man  whom  our  psalm  pronounces 
blessed.  "  He  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  un- 
godly.' He  repudiates  all  rules  of  moral  action  so 
shifting  and  uncertain  as  human  opinion.  Though 
in  the  world,  he  is  not  of  the  world,  and  will  not 
shape  his  conduct  to  its  principles.  And  as  he  walketh 
not  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  so  he  "  standeth 
not  in  the  way  of  sinners."  Sinners  in  this  clause 
may  mean  those  who  are  morally  worse  than  the 
ungodly  just  described;  men  who  have  fallen  below 
the  high-toned  man  of  the  world,  and  sin  not  only 
against  what  is  good  in  human  laws  and  customs, 
but  also  against  the  remonstrances  of  revelation,  and 
of  their  own  consciences.  Though  visited  occasion- 
ally by  remorse,  their  progress  in  evil  is  steadily 
onward.  Their-  habits  of  sin  are  fixed — this  is 
implied  in  the  word  standeth^  a  stronger  term  than 
walketh. 

The  blessed  man  of  our  psalm,  however,  stand- 
eth not  in  the  way  of  sinners,  of  open  and  reck- 
less transgressors.  He  eschews,  so  far  as  he  can,  both 
the  maxims  and  the  society  of  those  who  take  plea- 
sure in  unrighteousness.  He  dreads,  as  worse  than 
death,  the  sinful  habits  that  hold  them  in  bondage, 
and  will  choose  none  of  their  ways.     Moreover,  he 


PSALM    I.  17 

"  sitteth  not  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful."  Here  is 
another  stage  and  degree  of  wickedness  that  he  will 
shun.  Sitting  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful  indicates 
more  than  a  mere  fixed  habit  of  sinning.  It  indicates 
a  scoffing  at  all  religion,  a  deriding  of  every  restraint 
put  upon  the  human  will.  It  describes  the  vile 
infidel,  warring  against  the  laws  alike  of  God  and 
man,  maliciously  violating  both,  and  instigating 
others  to  do  the  same.  He  that  standeth  in  the  way 
of  sinners  would  seem  to  be  satisfied  with  being 
wicked  alone — but  he  that  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the 
scornful,  labours  to  make  other  sas  vile  and  wicked 
as  he  is  himself.  Such  is  the  downward  progress  of 
the  wicked.  He  begins  with  being  simply  ungodly^ 
governing  himself  only  by  the  maxims  and  practices 
of  the  world;  he  then  passes  on  to  be  a  sinnei;  an 
open,  and,  in  many  things,  a  reckless  transgressor; 
and  then  to  be  a  scoff'er,  deriding  all  religion,  and 
labouring  to  make  others  as  violently  scoffing  as 
he  is  himself.  And  where  is  the  man  who  is  simply 
ungodly,  simply  without  God  in  the  world,  simply 
ujiregenerate,  who  can  say  that  he  will  not  take  the 
second  step  in  sin,  and  then — the  third  and  last"? 
No  unregenerate  man  can  say  that  he  will  not.  The 
path  of  sin  is  an  inclined  plane  pitched  at  a  fear- 
fully downward  slope,  and  he  who  stands  upon  the 
plane  at  all,  is  sliding  with  a  momentarily  increasing 
velocity  towards  the  bottom.  The  man,  however, 
whom  our  psalm  declares  blessed,  stands  upon  no  part 
of  this  fearful  slope — neither  with  the  merely  un- 
godly at  its  top,  nor  with  the  sinner  at  its  centre, 
nor  with  the  scornful  at  its  base. 
2* 


18  LECTURES    ON    THE    PSALMS. 

Verse  2.    But  his  deliglit  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord;  and  in  his 
hiw  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night. 

Here  is  the  second  part  of  the  answer  to  the 
question,  "  O  where  shall  rest  be  found,  rest  for  the 
weary  souH"  As  the  answer  to  the  first  part  was,  ac- 
cording to  the  teaching  of  the  first  verse,  ceasing  to  do 
evil.,  so  the  answer  to  its  second  part  is,  according  to 
the  teaching  of  the  second  verse,  learning  to  do  ivell; 
is  delighting  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  meditating 
therein  day  and  night.  Combining  these  two — ceas- 
ing to  do  evil,  and  learning  to  do  well — as  the  two  are 
taught  us  in  the  word  of  God,  will  make  us  blessed, 
securing  us  the  happiness  for  which  the  human  heart 
everywhere  and  always  hungers.  And  this  is  the 
reason  that  the  good  man  is  never  found  in  anT/  part 
of  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  destruction.  It  is 
because  of  his  sincere  love  for  the  law  of  the  Lord ; 
a  standard  of  right  and  wrong,  that  so  clearly  defines 
the  two  that  he  can  never  be  at  a  loss  to  know  what 
line  of  conduct  truth  and  duty  require  of  him.  He 
knows  by  the  testimony  of  every  feeling  of  his  heart, 
the  truth  of  the  words,  "  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  per- 
fect, converting  the  soul:  the  testimony  of  the  Lord 
is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple :  the  statutes  of  the 
Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart:  the  command- 
ment of  the  Lord  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes: 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean,  enduring  for  ever:  the 
judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true,  and  righteous  alto- 
gether. More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold,  yea, 
than  much  fine  gold;  sweeter  also  than  honey  and 
the  honey-comb.  Moreover,  by  them  is  thy  servant 
warned;  and  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great 
reward."  Ps.  xix.  7-11.     The  reading  of  the  Divine 


PSALM   I.  19 

word,  combined  with  meditation  and  prayer,  works  a 
moral  transformation  in  the  soul;  quickens  its  per- 
ceptions of  the  truth;  forms  it  averse  to  sin,  and  fills 
it  with  a  love  for  all  that  is  holy,  just,  and  good. 
There  is  a  moral  atmosphere  investing  the  word  of 
God,  in  which  the  humble  mind  finds  itself  at  home, 
and  all  its  powers  of  thought  and  feeling  purified 
and  strengthened.  Bring  such  a  mind  into  contact 
Avith  the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  and  it  feels  that  it 
has  found  the  truth,  and  can  rejoice  in  it  as  its 
element  of  life.  It  lays  hold  of  the  good  man's  con- 
science in  a  way  that  he  cannot  explain,  and  yet  in 
a  way  to  retain  him  a  willing  captive.  His  delight 
is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  after  the  inner  man.  He 
feels  that  his  soul  was  made  to  be  conformed  to  its 
influences ;  and  the  efl'ort  of  his  life,  day  and  night, 
is  to  render  it  complete.  He  labours  without  ceasing 
to  fill  his  memory  with  its  words,  his  understanding 
with  its  light,  and  his  heart  with  its  spirit.  And 
what  will  be  the  efi"ect  upon  the  good  man,  of  his 
thus  delighting  in  the  law  of  the  Lord]     The  an- 


Verse  3.  And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of 
water,  that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season :  his  leaf 
also  shall  not  Avither;  and  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper. 

A  beautiful  illustration  of  the  perpetual  verdure 
and  fruitfulness  of  the  piety  deriving  its  origin  and 
sustenance  from  the  word  of  God.  It  is  compared  to 
a  tree  whose  roots  are  refreshed  by  never-failing 
streams  of  living  water,  and  whose  every  part  is 
instinct  with  the  life  flowing  from  its  roots.  It  is 
the  same  with  the  piety  nourished  by  the  word  of 


20  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

God.  As  the  sap  of  the  tree  imparts  life,  not  only 
to  its  roots,  and  trunk,  and  larger  branches,  but  also 
to  the  remotest  twig  and  leaf,  and  to  the  very  down 
upon  the  leaf;  so  the  truly  godly  man's  piety  per- 
vades his  whole  life,  imparting  its  spirit,  and  charac- 
ter, and  beauty  to  everything  he  does.  He  is  not  a 
religious  man  in  one  or  two  departments  of  life,  but 
he  is  a  religious  man  everywhere.  His  religion  is  a 
mental  habit — a  habit  of  thought,  of  feeling,  of  pur- 
pose, and  of  action,  of  which  he  never  for  a  moment 
divests  himself  He  aims  that  not  so  much  as  a  leaf 
on  his  tree  of  righteous  living  shall  show  signs  of 
decay.  The  same  spirit  that  actuates  him  in  the 
largest,  actuates  him  also  in  the  least  transaction  of 
his  life.  He  has  respect  unto  all  the  commandments 
of  the  Lord ;  and  whatever  he  does,  aims  to  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God.  His  religion  is  not  a  thing  that  is 
put  on — it  is  the  man  himself — the  man  in  the  man. 
Consequently,  the  storm  that  bows  mock  trees  of 
righteousness  to  the  earth,  leaves  him  still  standing; 
the  drought  that  dries  up  their  streams  of  life,  leaves 
his  still  full,  and  fresh,  and  flowing.  Vigour,  ver- 
dure, and  fruitfulness  are  his  evermore.  His  source 
of  strength  can  never  fail.  It  is  the  river  of  life 
flowing  from  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb, 
reaching  his  soul  through  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
wherein  is  his  delight  and  unceasing  meditation. 
"And  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper;"  his  worldly 
affairs  generally,  his  spiritual  affairs  always.  AVhat- 
soever  he  doeth  to  perfect  himself  in  holiness  and 
pureness  of  living — wherever  else  he  may  expe- 
rience failure,  he  will  experience  none  here.  God 
will  strengthen  him  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the 


PSALM   I.  21 

inner  man,  that  he  may  stand  in  the  evil  day;  and 
having  done  all,  stand.  His  words  to  every  one 
whose  delight  is  in  his  law,  are,  "  Fear  thou  not,  for 
I  am  with  thee;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God: 
I  will  strengthen  thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea,  I 
will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  right- 
eousness." Isa.  xli.  10. 

Verse  4.    The  ungodly  are  not  so:  but  are  like  the  chaff  which 
the  wind  driveth  away. 

It  is  even  so:  the  ungodly  are  not  as  the  good 
man,  whose  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord;  they 
are  not  as  he  is,  pei-petually  refreshed  with  streams 
from  the  "pure  river  of  the  water  of  life."  There 
are  no  Divine  influences  flowing  into  their  souls,  to 
keep  them  evermore  spiritually  alive.  They  are  not 
as  a  green  tree  with  its  roots  deeply  fixed  in  the 
earth,  and  fed  by  never-failing  springs ;  nor  even  as  a 
shrivelled  tree,  slightly  rooted,  and  scantily  watered ; 
not  yet  indeed  as  any  living  thing — but  they  are 
chaff",  worthless  chaff,  that  the  husbandman  labours 
wholly  to  separate  from  the  wheat.  This  is  done  in 
the  East  by  throwing  the  grain  with  its  chaff  up 
against  the  wind,  which  the  wind  driveth  away — our 
Prayer-book  says,  "  away  from  the  face  of  the  earth." 
This  translation  expresses  no  more  than  the  full 
force  of  the  Hebrew  verb  rendered  dnveth  away. 
As  the  word  chaff  expresses  the  worthlessness  and 
helplessness  of  the  ungodly,  so  the  word  driveth-aivay 
expresses  the  irresistible  force  that  is  brought  to  bear 
upon  them.  They  are  driven  away  from  the  face  of 
the  earth  by  wars,  brawls,  and  secret  murders;  they 
are  driven  away  from,  the  face  of  it  by  themselves, 


22  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

by  indulgences  that  hurry  them  into  early  and 
unhonoured  graves.  They  are  also  driven  away  by 
the  judgments  of  God,  by  the  pestilence  that  walk- 
eth  in  darkness,  and  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at 
noon-day.  Blown  upon  by  the  breath  of  mutual 
hatred,  by  the  breath  of  their  own  passions,  lusts, 
and  appetites,  and  by  the  breath  of  incensed  justice, 
the  three  combined  do  indeed  drive  them  away  as 
chaff  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Mutually  destroy- 
ing, self-destroying,  and  Divinely  destroyed — such  is 
the  sad  condition  of  the  ungodly. 

Verse  5.     Therefore  the  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judg- 
ment, nor  sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous. 

No,  the  ungodly  shall  not  stand ;  if  His  winnowing 
judgments  do  not  here  separate  them  from  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  the  winno wings  of  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day  will  certainly  do  it.  The  good  and  the 
bad,  the  chaff  and  the  wheat  are  largely  mingled 
here.  They  will,  however,  be  wholly  and  for  ever 
severed  at  the  judgment  of  the  great  day.  The 
Divine  Husbandman  will  then,  with  his  fan  in  his 
hand,  for  the  last  time,  thoroughly  purify  his  floor, 
winnowing  out  from  among  the  pure  and  good,  not 
only  the  ungodly,  the  sinner,  and  the  scoffer,  but  also 
many  who  now  have  no  fears  for  themselves — as  the 
moralist,  the  formalist,  the  hypocrite,  and  the  self- 
deceived.  None  will  be  able  to  stand  in  the  judg- 
ment, be  numbered  in  the  congregation  of  the  right- 
eous, whose  delight  was  not  in  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
and  who  did  not  exercise  themselves  therein  day 
and  night. 


23 


Yerse  6.     For  the  Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous ;  hut 
the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish. 

This  is  the  good  man's  consolation.  The  world 
may  condemn  and  ridicule  his  way,  and  persecute 
him  for  persevering  in  it;  yet  the  Lord  knoweth, 
that  is,  approveth  his  way.  His  eye  is  evermore 
upon  it  for  good.  He  marks  well  the  good  man's 
efforts  to  perfect  himself  in  the  virtues  of  a  child  of 
God,  and  strengthens  him  to  go  on  from  conquering 
to  conquer.  He  protects  him  by  his  power,  guides 
him  by  his  wisdom,  and  sustains  him  by  his  grace. 
It  was  thus  that  he  guided,  protected,  and  sustained 
Noah  in  the  deluge;  Abraham  in  his  wanderings; 
Joseph  in  his  bondage;  Moses  in  Egypt  and  in  the 
wilderness ;  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  and  the  Hebrew 
youth  in  the  seven-times  heated  furnace.  The  Lord 
knoweth  them  that  are  his,  and  will  never  leave 
them,  nor  forsake  them.  The  way  of  the  righteous 
is  his  delight.  But  the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall 
perish !  The  Lord  abhors  it.  His  eye  is  upon  it  for 
evil.  He  can  never  approve  wicked  men's  thoughts 
or  ways.  His  very  nature,  being  infinitely  perfect, 
binds  him  to  defeat  their  plans,  and  punish  them. 
He  would  not  be  God,  if  he  could  look  upon  evil 
and  evil-doers  with  indifference.  All  the  orderings 
of  his  providence,  and  all  the  arrangements  of 
nature,  are  therefore  in  the  long  run  against  them 
to  root  them  out. 

Who  then  would  not  be  the  man  whom  our  Psalm 
pronounces  blessed?  Who  would  not  cease  to  do 
evil,  and  learn  to  do  well,  even  as  he  did]  He 
abounded  in  every  good  work  and  word,  as  the  tree 
abounds  with  fruit,  whose  roots  are  fed  by  never- 


24  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

failing  streams  of  living  water.  He  so  abounded  in 
them  because  his  delight  was  in  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
and  he  exercised  himself  therein  without  ceasing. 
This  was  the  whole  secret  of  his  blessedness,  and 
will  be  the  whole  secret  of  ours,  if  the  Lord  shall 
ever  delight  in  us,  as  he  delighted  in  him.  Our  only 
safety,  and  our  only  happiness  will  be  in  amending 
our  lives  according  to  God's  holy  word.  It  is  only 
as  the  waters  of  life  reach  our  souls  through  the  law 
of  the  Lord,  that  its  palsied  moral  powers  are  quick- 
ened into  life,  and  launch  out  upon  an  endless  career 
of  righteousness,  purity,  and  bliss.  And  that  all  of 
us  might  have  our  moral  powers  thus  quickened  and 
directed,  God  gives  his  Holy  Spirit  to  all  of  us  who 
ask  Him  to  put  his  laws  into  our  minds,  and  to  write 
them  in  our  hearts.  Heb.  x.  16.  It  was  to  purchase 
for  us  this  blessed  Renovator  and  Restorer  of  all 
good  in  the  soul,  that  his  Son  died  on  Calvary.  Let 
us  all  then  look  to  the  gospel  for  strength  to  keep 
the  law.  We  should  use  the  law  only  as  a  school- 
master to  bring  us  to  Christ,  that  we  may  be  justi- 
fied by  faith.  Gal.  iii.  24.  It  is  still  our  rule  of 
holy  living,  but  no  longer  the  ground  of  our  justifi- 
cation; and  if  any  of  us  expect  to  reach  a  better 
world  through  the  merit  of  our  own  obedience  to  the 
Divine  law,  and  not  through  the  alone  merit  of  Christ's 
obedience,  we  shall  be  most  deplorably  disappointed. 
"  For  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness 
to  every  one  that  believeth."  Rom.  x.  4. 


PSALM    II.  25 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  IL 


One  greater  than  David  is  here,  even  the  Son  of 
David,  whose  kingdom  ruleth  over  all.  The  main 
reference  of  this  psalm  is  to  Christ.  Acts  iv.  25-27, 
xiii.  33:  Heb.  i.  5,  v.  5.  It  differs  from  the  first, 
as  the  gospel  differs  from  the  law — that  psalm  is 
moral.,  showing  us  our  duty;  this  is  evaiigelical.,  show- 
ing us  our  Saviour.  It  is  always  thus  that  God 
exhibits  the  law  and  the  gospel  in  his  word.  He 
never  enjoins  a  duty  without  pointing  us  to  Him 
through  whom  we  may  be  enabled  to  perform  it.  If 
he  require  us  to  keep  the  whole  law  perfectly,  it  is 
in  connection  with  the  promise  to  write  the  whole 
law  in  living  impulses  upon  our  hearts.  Heb.  x.  16. 
If  he  tell  us  of  our  sins,  he  also  tells  us  of  Him 
whose  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  If  he  tell  us  of 
our  corruptions,  he  at  the  same  time  tells  us  also 
of  a  Divine  Spirit,  that  can  renew  our  souls  in  right- 
eousness and  true  holiness.  If,  then,  the  sole  object 
of  the  introduction  of  Messiah's  kingdom  be  to 
restore  man  to  purity  and  bliss — to  bring  him  to 
delight  in  the  law  that  is  holy,  just,  and  good — to 
transform  him  from  a  child  of  sin  and  Satan  into  a 
child  of  God,  and  elevate  him  to  heaven,  why  should 
man  oppose  if?  Why  should  he  meditate  its  over- 
throw] Can  he  carry  it  against  God"?  or,  if  he 
could,  would  not  his  victory  be  more  disastrous  to 
him  than  defeat?  Some  train  of  thought  of  this  sort 
seems  to  be  implied  in  the  demand: 
3 


S6  LECTUKES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 


Verse  1.  Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people  imagine  a 
vain  thing? 

A  vain  thing  as  regards  God — to  attempt  the 
overthrow  of  a  kingdom  upheld  by  Omnipotence,  by 
Him  who  doeth  whatsoever  he  pleaseth  in  the  armies 
of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth, 
and  whose  hand  none  can  stay.  A  vain  thing,  too, 
as  regards  themselves — for,  supposing  they  should 
succeed,  what  would  they  have  accomplished  for 
themselves  morally "?  The  same  that  they  would  ac- 
complish for  themselves  physically,  if  they  were  to 
strike  the  sun  from  its  place  in  the  heavens,  hence- 
forth to  grope  their  way  through  a  darkness  that 
could  be  felt,  and  over  an  earth  whence  every  form 
of  beauty  and  life  had  fled.  But  vain  as  the  under- 
taking must  ever  be,  to  attempt  the  overthrow  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  upon  earth,  the  ignorant,  degraded, 
and  easily  excited  multitude  have  not  been  the  only 
persons  to  make  it,  but. 

Verse  2.  The  kings  of  the  earth  set  themselves,  and  the  rulers 
take  counsel  together,  against  the  Lord,  and  against  his 
Anointed. 

Anointed  here  means  the  same  as  Messiah,  and 
both  words  the  same  as  Christ  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. How  literally  were  the  words  of  this  verse 
fulfilled,  when  Herod,  and  Pontius  Pilate,  and  the 
rulers  of  the  Jews  combined  together  to  put  Jesus  to 
death!  How  cordially  they  hated  each  other;  and 
yet  how  cordially  they  united  in  persecuting  Jesus ! 
This  has  been  the  history  of  our  religion  from  the 
beginning.  Men  who  would  take  counsel  together 
in  nothing  else,  have  taken  counsel  together  against 


PSALM   II.  27 

the  Lord,  and  against  his  Anointed.  Christianity- 
has  been  opposed  by  every  other  form  of  rehgion 
beneath  the  sun.  The  civil  ruler  has  opposed  it 
with  the  sword ;  the  bigot  with  the  screw,  the  wheel, 
and  the  stake;  the  philosopher  with  sophistry  and 
derision;  and  the  multitude  with  lawless  violence. 
All  have  been  alike  eager  to  nail  it  to  the  cross, 
thrust  a  spear  into  its  side,  and  place  upon  its  head 
a  crown  of  thorns.  And  when  asked  to  spare  it,  the 
language  of  all  has  been,  "Not  this  man,  but  Barab- 
bas!"  This  feature  of  heterogeneous  opposition  to 
our  religion,  is  conspicuous  in  all  modern  liberal  and 
infidel  conventions,  where  men  of  all  beliefs,  and  of 
no  beUef,  ignoring  for  the  time  being  all  their  differ- 
ences, unite  heart  and  soul  in  a  crusade  against  the 
word  of  God.  They  care  little  what  stars  occupy  a 
place  in  the  religious  heavens  of  the  world,  provided 
the  Star  of  Bethlehem  be  not  of  the  number.  They 
will  tolerate  any  other  form  of  religion  sooner  than 
the  religion  of  the  Lord,  and  of  his  Anointed. 
Of  their  religion,  that  is,  of  the  religion  revealed  to 
us  by  the  Father  and  the  Son,  by  the  Lord  and  his 
Christ,  they  say, 

Verse  3.     Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their 
cords  from  us. 

These  words,  "bands  and  cords,"  suggest  the  secret 
of  the  world's  great  opposition  to  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  It  cannot  abide  the  strictness  of  its  laws. 
It  is  restiff  under  them,  and  would  break  them 
asunder  and  cast  them  off.  It  was  not  the  strange- 
ness of  its  doctrines^  but  the  purity  of  its  precepts, 
that  so  excited  kings,  and  rulers,  and  people  against 


28  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  religion  of  the  Son  of  Mary.  If  it  had  required 
them  only  to  believe,  or  to  profess  to  believe,  and 
not  also  to  amend  their  lives  according  to  God's  holy 
word,  it  would  have  experienced  but  little  opposi- 
tion. It  is  not  requiring  men  to  believe  mysteries, 
but  to  crucify  every  corrupt  affection,  and  inordinate 
desire,  that  sets  them  against  the  gospel.  They  love 
darkness  rather  than  light,  because  they  love  their 
sins  more  than  they  love  holiness.  This  was  the 
case  with  the  Jew  and  heathen  of  old.  It  is  also 
the  case  with  us.  Our  hearts  are  by  nature  as  much 
opposed  as  theirs  were,  to  being  crossed  in  their 
desires  by  the  law  of  God.  None  of  our  minds  are 
subject  to  his  law,  till  they  are  spiritually  renewed. 
Till  so  renewed,  they  are  enmity  against  God.  We 
may  not  join  hands  with  the  revilers  and  persecutors 
of  the  religion  of  the  Lord  and  of  his  Anointed,  still 
if  we  fail  to  render  its  laws  a  loving  obedience,  the 
language  of  our  hearts,  in  the  ear  of  God,  is,  "Let 
us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their 
cords  from  us." 

Verse  4.    He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh;   the  Lord 
shall  have  them  in  derision. 

We  can  conceive  of  no  feeling  in  the  Divine 
mind  toward  any  of  his  creatures  that  would  lead  him 
to  literally  laugh  at  and  deride  them.  His  feelings 
towards  even  those  whom  he  dooms,  are  still  feelings 
of  pity.  It  was  with  tears  that  "  God  manifested  in 
the  flesh"  exclaimed,  "  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto 
you  desolate!"  We  may,  therefore,  understand  by 
his  laughing  at  and  deriding  the  kings  and  rulers 
taking  counsel  together  against  him  and  his  Anoint- 


PSALM    II.  29 

ed,  only  his  infinite  consciousness  of  being  able  at 
any  moment  to  defeat  all  their  machinations.  As  a 
man  who  was  conscious  of  being  able  to  deal  in  this 
way  with  his  enemies  would  be  likely  to  laugh  at 
and  deride  them,  till  the  time  came  for  punishing 
them,  so  God,  in  order  to  our  more  vivid  concep- 
tion of  the  greatness  of  his  own  power  and  the  utter 
impotence  of  his  enemies,  is  said  to  do  the  same, 
though  without  any  of  the  feelings  that  would, 
under  similar  circumstances,  find  their  way  into  a 
human  breast.  Omniscient  to  plan,  and  omnipotent 
to  execute,  he  can  afford,  till  the  right  time  comes 
for  punishing  them,  to  treat  his  enemies  as  if  with 
supreme  indifference.  He  can  look,  unmoved,  upon 
their  utmost  opposition,  as  the  opposition  of  worms. 
He  is,  therefore,  never,  by  the  fury  of  his  enemies, 
hurried  out  of  himself  to  take  vengeance  at  once, 
but  often  leaves  them  to  work  out  his  own  designs 
by  their  very  wickedness,  thus  making  their  very 
wrath  praise  him.  It  was  thus  that  he  made  the 
wrath  of  those  crucifying  his  Son  praise  him.  They 
thought  they  were  destroying  Messiah's  kingdom. 
How  mistaken !  They  were  laying  its  foundation ! 
It  had  its  life  and  beginning  in  the  blood  which 
they  thought  would  utterly  extinguish  it.  Hence 
Luther's  saying,  "Who  thought,  when  Christ  suf- 
fered, and  the  Jews  triumphed,  that  God  was  laugh- 
ing all  the  time!"  It  was  even  so;  for  he  saw  them 
accomplishing — what  they  thought  they  were  defeat- 
ing— his  own  purposes  of  mercy  toward  a  guilty 
world.  He,  therefore,  still  sat  at  ease  upon  his 
throne  in  the  heavens,  content  to  let  the  tide  of 
human  wrath  roll  on  unchecked,  till  the  time  came 
3* 


30  LECTURES    OF   THE    PSALMS. 

for  him  to  say,  "  Thus  far — and  no  farther — here  shall 
thy  proud  waves  be  stayed."  This  time  is  sure  to 
come  at  the  last:  for  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens 
will  not  always  act  as  if  he  ignored  and  derided  the 
wickedness  of  the  wicked.  This  has  its  bounds, 
beyond  which  God  will  not  suffer  it  to  pass;  and 
when  it  reaches  those  bounds,  then  he  visits  for  it. 

Verse  5.     Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them  in  his  wrath,  and  vex 
them  in  his  sore  displeasure. 

When  God  can  no  longer  overrule  the  wrath  of 
man  to  work  out  his  own  great  purposes  of  truth 
and  goodness,  he  restrains  and  punishes  it.  He 
dealt  in  this  way  with  the  Jews.  As  if  contemptu- 
ously indifferent  to  what  they  were  doing,  he  allowed 
them  to  go  on  until  they  had,  as  his  death  was 
necessary  to  the  salvation  of  the  world,  crucified  his 
Son:  but  when  they  pushed  their  hostility  beyond, 
and  aimed  to  drive  the  religion  of  Christ  also  out  of 
the  world,  then,  having  laid  aside  his  former  appa- 
rent indifference,  God  spake  unto  them  in  his  wrath, 
and  vexed  them  in  his  sore  displeasure.  He  sent 
the  Roman  legions  against  them,  who  besieged  them 
till  they  endured  horrors  that  shock  the  mind  to 
relate,  laid  their  city  in  ruins,  levelled  their  beautiful 
temple  to  the  ground,  leaving  not  one  stone  upon 
another  that  was  not  thrown  down ;  indeed  ploughing 
up  its  very  foundations,  and  then  leading  its  former 
lovers  and  defenders  away  into  hopeless  captivity. 
And  as  he  dealt  with  the  Jews,  so  God  at  last  dealt 
with  the  llomans  also.  He  suffered  them  to  take 
part  in  crucifying  his  Son,  and  punishing  the  Jews: 
but  when  they  would  have  gone  farther,  he    sent 


PSALM    II.  81 

upon  them  a  destruction  even  more  sweeping  than 
that  sent  upon  the  Jews.  He  subverted  not  only 
their  political  and  military  power,  but  gradually 
obliterated  their  very  name.  The  history  of  other 
nations  to  whom  God  has  spoken  in  his  anger,  is  the 
same.  So  easily,  when  the  time  comes  for  him  to 
do  it,  does  He  who  who  sitteth  in  the  heavens  dis- 
comfit his  enemies.  He  frowns — and  they  are  not ! 
The  places  that  knew  them  once,  know  them  no 
more.  Do  what  they  may  to  overthrow  the  king- 
dom of  his  Son,  God's  never-failing  answer  to  the 
fiercest  and  most  formidable  of  its  assailants  is  ever- 
more the  same. 

Verse   6.      Yet   have   I   set   my  King  upon  my  holy   hill  of 
Zion. 

Zion  was  the  seat  of  Jewish  royalty,  but  this 
King,  against  whom  human  malice  would  spend 
itself  in  vain,  was  a  greater  than  David.  He  is  the 
King  of  Zion;  he  is  Head  over  all  things  to  the 
Church;  and  hath  all  power  given  unto  him  in  hea- 
ven and  upon  earth.  Hence  God  calls  him  his 
King;  that  is,  a  King  who  shares  the  government  of 
the  universe  with  himself  Hence  he  says ,  "I  have 
set  my  King  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion" — my  King, 
not  a  king  elected  and  consecrated  to  the  office  by 
man,  but  elected  and  consecrated  by  me.  Who  then 
is  this  divinely  elected  and  divinely  consecrated 
King,  enthroned  upon  God's  holy  hill  of  Zion?  The 
next  verse  answers, 

Verse  7.    I  will  declare  the  decree:  the  Lord  hath  said  unto  me, 
Thou  art  my  Son :  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee. 

These  are  the  King's  own  words,  that  the  Lord 
himself  had  said  unto  him,   "Thou  art   my  Son." 


32  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

His  Son,  too,  in  a  sense  which,  as  all  approved  com- 
mentators tell  us,  makes  him  equal  with  the  Father 
Almighty.  "Thou  art  my  Son."  Do  we  meet  with 
words  similar  to  these  elsewhere]  We  do — once  on 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  at  the  baptism  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  There  came  a  voice  from  heaven,  "  This 
is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 
Matt.  ii.  17.  And  so  again,  on  the  mount  of 
transfiguration,  issuing  from  the  bright  overshadow- 
ing cloud,  there  came  a  voice,  "  This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased:  hear  ye  him." 
Matt.  xvii.  5.  This  divine  Son-King  then,  en- 
throned upon  God's  holy  hill  of  Zion,  is  he  who  was 
conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  "This  day  have  I  begotten  thee."  These 
words  refer  not  alone  to  our  Lord's  miraculous  con- 
ception, but  to  all  the  great  acts  of  the  Father 
Almighty — such  as  his  raising  Jesus  from  the  dead, 
and  exalting  him  to  the  right  hand  of  power  on 
high,  whereby  it  was  demonstrated  that  he  was 
indeed  the  Son  and  equal  of  the  Most  High. 

Verse  8.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession. 

This  is  the  price  that  Messiah  was  to  receive  for 
pouring  out  his  soul  unto  death  for  us  men  and  our 
salvation.  The  whole  earth  was  in  consequence  to 
become  his  spiritual  inheritance  and  possession — an 
inheritance  and  possession  upon  which  he  began  to 
enter  when  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  spread  from 
the  Jews  to  the  Gentiles.  Then  began  to  be  ful- 
filled that  which  will  have  been  realized  when  the 


rsALM  II.  83 

seventh  angel  sounds  his  trumpet,  and  there  are 
great  voices  in  heaven,  saying,  "  The  kingdoms  of 
this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord, 
and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and 
ever."  Rev.  xi.  15. 

Verse  9.     Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron;  thou  shalt 
dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel. 

This  cannot  mean  that  Messiah's  sway  is  a  king- 
dom of  force^  but  only  that  his  enemies  can  no  more 
withstand  his  power  than  an  earthen  vessel  can  with- 
stand the  blows  of  an  iron  rod.  His  only  weapons  of 
assault  are  truth  and  love ;  and  if  human  power  and 
institutions  crumble  at  their  touch  and  pass  away,  it 
is  because  there  is  something  radically  evil  and  defec- 
tive in  them.  The  northern  oceans  are  often  filled 
with  mountains  of  ice,  reaching  not  only  far  down 
into  the  deep,  but  towering  also  to  the  very  clouds, 
and  threatening  to  crush  to  atoms  everything  with 
which  they  come  into  collision.  NeTertheless,  how 
soon  do  a  few  days  of  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun 
rob  them  of  their  strength,  leaving  the  frailest  barque 
to  speed  on  its  way  over  unobstructed  waters!  It  is 
in  this  way  that  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  operates. 
By  light  and  heat,  truth  and  love,  he  clears  the  way 
over  the  frozen  oceans  of  human  life,  for  the  onward 
progress  of  the  ark  of  his  salvation  to  the  haven 
where  it  would  be.  The  only  way  in  which  Messiah 
can  be  said  to  break  his  enemies  with  a  rod  of  iron, 
and  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel,  is  his 
leaving  them  to  the  natural  and  fearful  destruction 
that  fiows  from  resisting  truth  and  love,  the  two 
great   laws  of  his  kingdom,  and,  indeed,  the  two 


81  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

great  laws   of  all  well-being.      How  appropriately 
then  does  our  psalm  close  with  the  exhortation, 

Verses  10-12.  Be  wise  now  therefore,  O  ye  kings;  be  in- 
structed, ye  judges  of  the  earth.  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear, 
and  rejoice  with  trembling.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be 
angry,  and  ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is  kindled 
but  a  little.     Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him. 

This  exhortation  to  the  great  and  mighty  of  the 
earth  to  serve  the  Lord  and  his  Christ,  with  fear  and 
trembling,  is  based  upon  the  assumption  that  it  is 
perdition  to  oppose  them.  And  let  none  of  us  sup- 
pose that  we  are  not  opposing  the  rule  of  Messiah, 
the  rule  of  the  Son,  because  we  were  not  among 
those  who  cried,  "Away  with  him — crucify  him!" 
An  unregenerate  heart  places  us  in  an  attitude  of 
hostility  to  him  and  his  government.  And  if  that 
heart  be  not  removed  from  our  breasts,  and  a  heart 
of  purity  and  love  be  put  in  its  place,  it  will  of  itself 
alone  work  out  for  us  a  destruction  far  more  fearful 
than  that  of  being  broken  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and 
dashed  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel.  Seek  ye  then 
this  indispensable  moral  renovation;  be  melted  by 
the  light  and  heat,  truth  and  love,  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ;  for  blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  iii 
him.  Blessed  in  this  world — the  waters  of  life  begin 
at  once  to  flow  into  the  soul,  filling  it  at  times  with 
a  peace  that  passeth  all  understanding — a  peace  that 
nothing  earthly  can  destroy,  and  that  enables  them 
to  pass  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  fearing  no 
evil.  Blessed  also  in  the  world  to  come;  the  Son 
meets  them  on  their  entrance  into  that  world  with 
the  cheering  words,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foun- 


PSALM   III.  85 

dation  of  the  world."  Blessed  indeed  are  all  they 
that  put  their  trust  in  him — blessed  here  and  here- 
after, now  and  for  ever.  He  maketh  all  things  work 
together  for  their  good ;  their  very  afflictions  in  this 
world  to  work  out  for  them  a  far  more  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory  in  the  world  to  come. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  III. 

This  Psalm  was  composed  by  David  when  he  was 
fleeing  before  his  rebellious  son  Absalom.  The  his- 
tory of  that  event,  therefore,  furnishes  the  key  to  its 
interpretation.  David  was  a  king,  ruling  in  the  fear 
of  God,  and  success  attended  his  every  undertaking, 
until,  in  an  unguarded  hour,  he  was  betrayed  into 
illicit  love,  and  then,  to  conceal  it,  into  murder. 
It  was  not,  however,  wholly  concealed,  for  God 
brought  it  home  to  David's  conscience  through  the 
prophet  Nathan;  and  though  he  remitted  the  law's 
express  penalty,  death,  yet  that  he  might  punish 
David  for  his  heinous  offences,  he  said  to  him, 
"Behold,  I  will  raise  up  evil  against  thee  out  of 
thine  own  house."  2  Sam.  xii.  11.  This  evil,  to  rise 
up  against  David  out  of  his  own  house,  soon  came, 
and  in  the  same  way  too  in  which  he  himself  had 
sinned — that  is,  in  lewdness  and  blood ;  in  lewdness 
first,  his  son  Amnon  dishonouring  his  own  sister, 
(2  Sam.  xiii.  14,)  and  then  in  blood,  his  son  Absa- 
lom, to  revenge  his  sister's  disgrace,  slaying  Amnon. 
2  Sam.  xiii.  28,  29.  This  was  evil  indeed  against 
David,  out  of  his  own  house;  and  yet  it  was  punish- 


36  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ing  him  only  by  leaving  his  sons  to  repeat  his  own 
sins.  His  cup  of  shame  and  sorrow  would  even  now 
seem  to  have  been  full ;  it  was  not,  however.  His 
ill-judged  pardon  of  Absalom  for  the  murder  of  his 
brother,  and  permitting  him  to  return  again  to  Jeru- 
salem, increased  his  shame  and  sorrow,  both  as  a 
father  and  as  a  king.  Good  himself,  he  was  slow  to 
suspect  evil,  and  therefore  suspected  nothing  evil  in 
Absalom  towards  himself,  till  he  had  stolen  the 
hearts  of  the  people;  till,  by  good  words  and  fair 
speeches,  he  had  persuaded  them  that  it  would  be 
altogether  to  their  advantage  for  them  to  place  him 
upon  the  throne  of  Israel  in  his  father's  stead.  Of 
this  conspiracy  to  deprive  him  of  his  life  and  throne, 
David  heard  nothing  and  suspected  nothing  till  it 
was  ready  to  be  executed.  Then  he  learned  that 
Absalom  had  been  proclaimed  king  at  Hebron,  and 
that,  with  apparently  few  exceptions,  the  people  had 
joined  him.  Unable  to  make  head,  at  once,  against 
so  formidable  and  unexpected  a  conspiracy,  and 
being,  besides,  unwilling  to  make  Jerusalem,  the 
holy  city,  the  battle-ground  of  such  an  impious  and 
unnatural  war,  David  said  to  all  his  servants  that 
were  with  him  at  Jerusalem,  "  Arise,  and  let  us  flee ; 
for  we  may  not  else  escape  from  Absalom:  make 
speed  to  depart,  lest  he  overtake  us  suddenly,  and 
bring  evil  upon  us,  and  smite  the  city  with  the  edge 
of  the  sword."  2  Sam.  xv.  14.  And  David,  passing 
out  of  the  city  over  the  brook  Kidron,  with  his  few 
tried  and  still  adhering  friends,  went  up  by  the 
ascent  of  Mount  Olivet,  weeping  as  he  went,  with 
his  head  covered,  and  barefoot,  in  token  of  his  going 
as   a   mourner,  submitting   himself  to  the   mighty 


PSALM   III.  37 

hand  of  God.  It  was  while  he  was  fleeing  in  this 
way  before  his  ungrateful  and  unnatural  son,  that 
David  conceived,  if  he  did  not  actually  write  out  at 
the  time,  the  following  psalm.  How  appropriate 
then,  under  such  circumstances,  are  its  opening 
words,  addressed  to  Him  who  was  then  David's  only 
hope! 

Verse  1.     Lord,  how  are  they  increased  that  trouble  me !    Many 
are  they  that  rise  up  against  me. 

If  he  could  not  commune  freely  with  others,  there 
is  at  least  One  to  whom  David  can  still  go,  and 
make  his  troubles  known.  Man  may  fail  him,  but 
the  Lord  will  not.  Man  may  refuse  him  aid  and 
sympathy,  but  the  Lord  will  refuse  him  neither. 
"Lord,"  says  he,  "how  are  they  increased  that 
trouble  me !"  All  his  old,  and,  as  he  once  thought, 
fast  friends,  had  revolted  from  him,  and  were  seek- 
ing his  life  and  throne;  and,  worst  of  all,  his  own 
son  was  heading  the  rebellion.  And  yet,  what  evil 
had  he  done  them,  that  many  were  thus  risen  up 
against  him  1  There  was  not  one  of  those  in  rebel- 
lion against  him  who  had  received  anything  but 
good  at  his  hands.  What  a  commentary  is  this 
upon  human  gratitude — men  seeking  the  life  of 
one  to  whom  they  owed  their  blessings !  It  was  in 
this  way  they  treated  David.  It  was  in  this  way 
they  treated  the  Son  of  David.  He  too  experienced 
nothing  but  evil,  where  he  should  have  experienced 
nothing  but  good.  Many  were  they  that  rose  up 
against  Him.  His  whole  nation  clamored  for  his 
blood;  nor  did  they  rest  till  it  flowed  on  Calvary. 
It  has  always  been  so.  Christ  has  always  been  be- 
trayed and  crucified  by  those  of  his  own  household, 
4 


38  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

the  Church.  It  is  of  enemies  within  that  he  has 
oftenest  been  obhged  to  say  with  David,  "Many  are 
they  that  rise  up  against  me."  It  is  too,  by  ene- 
mies within  that  the  Christian  is  oftenest  betrayed 
to  his  ruin — sinful  aifections  and  ungoverned  pas- 
sions banishing  Christ  from  his  ruling  place  in  the 
heart.  David,  however,  was  not  so  much  distressed 
by  the  number  of  his  enemies,  as  he  was  by  what 
many  of  them  said  of  him,  namely. 

Verse  2.     Many  there  be  which  say  of  uiy  soul,  There  is  no  help 
for  him  in  God. 

This  cut  deeper  into  David's  heart  than  anything 
else  they  could  say  or  do.  It  was  equivalent  to  say- 
ing, that  he  was  such  a  wretch  that  mercy  itself  had 
cast  him  off.  David  was  willing  to  admit  that  the 
Lord  was  afflicting  him  for  his  sins,  but  not  that  he 
had  forsaken  him.  This  is  a  mistake  that  the  world 
are  very  apt  to  make — that  is,  to  suppose  a  person 
who  is  greatly' afflicted  to  be  deserted  of  God.  It 
was  the  mistake  that  Job's  friends  made  in  regard  to 
him,  and  David's  enemies  in  regard  to  him;  hence 
Shimei,  when  he  saw  him  fleeing  before  Absalom, 
cursed  him  as  one  forsaken  of  God.  2  Sam.  xvi.  8. 
It  was  this  mistake  too  that  the  enemies  of  the  Son 
of  David  made  in  regard  to  him.  Seeing  him  in  the 
power  of  his  enemies  and  nailed  to  the  cross,  they 
derided  the  idea  that  there  was  any  help  for  him  in 
God.  Hence  those  taunting  words  upon  Calvary, 
"If  he  be  the  King  of  Israel,  let  him  now  come 
down  from  the  cross,  and  we  will  believe  on  him. 
He  trusted  in  God:  let  him  deliver  him  now  if  he 
will  have  him."  Matt,  xxvii.  42,  43.  Nevertheless, 
both  David  and  the  Son  of  David  found  help  in  God. 


PSALM   III.  39 

Affliction  is  no  certain  evidence  of  Divine  desertion. 
On  the  contrary,  if  it  draw  us,  as  it  drew  David,  to 
a  closer  walk  with  God,  it  may  be  evidence  that 
God  is  with  ns.  Hence  it  is  written,  "Many  are  the 
afflictions  of  the  righteous."  Psal.  xxxiv.  19.  If, 
then,  his  afflictions  lead  him  to  a  throne  of  grace, 
and  to  a  holier  life,  let  no  one  give  place  for  a  mo- 
ment to  the  thought — whoever  or  whatever  may  say 
it,  the  world,  the  adversary,  or  his  own  heart — that 
*'  there  is  no  help  for  him  in  God."  Despair  is  one 
of  the  worst  sins  that  man  can  commit.  It  dis- 
parages the  Divine  mercy — God's  brightest  and  most 
cherished  attribute — and  distracts  the  soul  as  no 
other  sin  can.  It  is  of  Satan's  fiery  darts  the  most 
burning  and  consuming.  And  how  are  its  fires  to 
be  quenched^     David  answers  us  in  the  words. 

Verse  3.     But  thou,  O  Lord,  art  a  shield  for  me;  my  glory,  and 
the  lifter  up  of  my  head. 

This  is  David's  answer  to  the  malicious  taunt  of 
his  enemies,  that  "  there  was  no  help  for  him  in 
God."  "  Thou,  O  Lord,  art  a  shield  unto  me ;  my 
glory,  and  the  lifter  up  of  my  head."  Oppressive  as 
his  sense  of  sin  was,  his  faith  in  God  did  not  forsake 
him;  it  still  sustained  him  in  his  sorest  trials.  He 
stiU.  believed  that  the  Lord  was  a  shield  unto  him  on 
every  side ;  "  his  glory"  too ;  the  source  and  author 
of  his  honours,  and  also  "the  lifter  up  of  his  head;" 
one  who  had  delivered  him  in  times  past,  and  who 
would  still  deliver  him.  David  did  not  cease  to 
trust  the  Lord,  because  clouds  and  darkness  were 
round  about  him,  and  he  was  fleeing  before  the 
storm.     He  recollected  that  other  storms  had  spent 


40  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

their  fury  on  him,  and  left  him  unharmed;  and  he 
believed  that  this  would  do  the  same.  How  impor- 
tant it  is  for  the  believer  to  remember,  in  the  midst 
of  present  trials,  former  mercies  and  deliverances. 
How  often  does  the  retrospect  serve  to  convince  him 
that  the  Lord  has  never  forsaken  him,  and  therefore 
that  he  never  will  forsake  him.  Such  was  the  effect 
upon  David's  mind  of  his  review  of  the  Lord's  for- 
mer dealings  with  him.  The  review  strengthened 
and  confirmed  his  faith.  Nor  did  he  combat  his 
fears  by  faith  only,  but  also  by  prayer,  saying, 

Verse  4.  I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with  my  voice,  and  he  heard  me 
out  of  his  holy  hill. 

David  had  been  driven  out  from  the  visible  pre- 
sence of  the  Lord  in  his  tabernacle  on  Mount  Zion, 
nevertheless  he  still  directed  his  prayer  towards  the 
holy  hill,  and  received  from  thence  an  answer.  This 
is  one  of  the  glorious  privileges  of  the  believer — his 
lot  can  be  cast  in  no  place  whence  his  cry  of  distress 
cannot  reach  the  mercy-seat  upon  God's  holy  hill  on 
high.  It  cannot  be  said  of  the  Lord,  Lo,  he  is  here ; 
or,  Lo,  he  is  there.  He  is  in  every  place  where 
there  is  a  heart  sighing  for  his  presence  and  aid. 
David  found  a  mercy-seat  in  the  wilderness,  Jonah 
in  the  depth  of  the  sea,  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  and 
the  Hebrew  youths  in  the  seven-times  heated  fur- 
nace. It  is  always  so.  The  Lord  never  fails  any 
who  seek  him  with  the  whole  heart.  In  what  way 
he  answered  David's  ciy  for  help  we  are  unable  to 
say;  whether  by  some  visible  token  of  his  favour,  or 
secret  communications  of  his  grace.  This  only  we 
know,  that  David's  faith  and  prayers  triumphed  over 


PSALM    III.  41 

all  his  fears,  and  so  triumphed  as  to  enable  him  to 

say, 

Verse  5.  I  laid  me  down  and  slept;  I  awaked,  for  the  Lord  sus- 
tained me. 

"  I  laid  me  down,  and  slept."  Could  language  more 
forcibly  describe  the  tranquilizing  effect  of  faith  and 
prayer!  David's  situation  was  in  every  way  calcu- 
lated to  drive  sleep  from  his  eyes,  and  slumber  from 
his  eye-lids:  nevertheless,  conscious  of  having  the 
Lord  as  his  shield,  and  having  committed  himself 
and  cause  to  him  in  prayer,  he  composed  himself  to 
rest,  and  slept.  His  trust  was  not  in  vain.  He 
awaked,  for  the  Lord  sustained  him.  How  sweet  it 
is  to  be  able,  in  the  midst  of  danger,  to  sink  to  rest 
without  fear,  secure  of  the  protection  of  Him  who 
never  sleeps,  who  never  even  slumbers!  This  is  the 
privilege  of  the  believer  alone — and  the  fulfilment  to 
him  of  the  promise,  "  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect 
peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee."  Isa.  xxvi.  3. 
It  is  the  privilege  of  the  believer  alone,  to  say,  as  he 
composes  himself  to  rest  at  the  close  of  each  day, 
and  most  of  all,  as  he  composes  himself  to  rest  at  the 
close  of  life,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my 
spirit;"  and  to  do  it  without  the  least  anxiety,  confi- 
dent that  the  same  God  that  has  watched  over  him 
in  his  bed,  will  also  watch  over  him  in  his  grave, 
and  awake  him,  as  he  awaked  his  Son  Jesus,  even 
from  its  leaden  slumbers.  Nor  was  David  enabled 
to  sleep  only,  but  also,  his  faith  having  been  invigor- 
ated by  prayer,  to  defy  his  enemies,  saying, 

Verse  6.     I  will  not  be  afraid  of  ten  thousands  of  people,  thiit 
have  set  themselves  against  me  round  about. 

This  was  literally  David's  situation.     Ten  thou- 
4* 


42  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

sands  of  people  were  posted  round  about  him,  pant- 
ing for  his  life.  But  he  who  has  the  Lord  on  his 
side,  need  not  fear  what  man  can  do  unto  him. 
Numbers  should  have  no  terrors  for  him,  knowing 
that  He  whose  he  is,  and  whom  he  serves,  can  as 
easily  discomfit  ten  thousand  as  he  can  discomfit  one. 
Engaged  in  the  cause  of  truth  and  right,  he  has  of 
course  the  God  of  truth  and  right  on  his  side,  and 
can  therefore  reckon  upon  certain  victory.  He  need 
have  no  misgivings  as  to  the  result  of  the  contest. 
The  final  result  is  certain,  and  can  be  but  one.  It  is 
this  thought  of  certain  victory  that  girds  the  soul 
with  supernatural  strength  and  courage  in  all  its 
conflicts  with  the  powers  of  evil.  "  Were  there  as 
many  devils  in  Worms  as  there  are  tiles  on  the 
housetops,  still  I  will  enter  it,"  said  Luther,  on  his 
way  to  the  city  of  Worms,  alone,  to  defend  the  word 
of  God  against  the  world  in  arms.  The  same  fear- 
lessness of  man  filled  Luther's  heart  that  filled 
David's;  and,  in  one  case,  as  in  the  other,  must  have 
come  from  the  same  source — the  inspiration  of  the 
Almighty.  The  thought  of  each  heart  was,  "  I  will 
not  fear  what  man  can  do  unto  me."  How  many  a 
martyr's,  confessor's,  and  reformer's  heart,  has  God 
filled  with  this  sublime  contempt  of  human  power 
and  malice!  There  is  in  the  defiance,  however, 
nothing  of  self-reliance — it  is  entirely  the  result  of 
trust  in  God.  This  we  learn  from  the  words  of 
David  following  his  defiance,  saying. 

Verse  7.  Arise,  0  Lord;  save  me,  0  my  God:  for  tliou  hast 
smitten  all  mine  enemies  upon  the  cheek-bone;  thou  hast 
broken  the  teeth  of  the  ungodly. 

This  shows   that   David's  expectation  of  victory 
was  not  in  himself,  in  his  personal  prowess  as  a  war- 


PSALM   III.  43 

rior,  but  in  the  faithfulness  of  the  Lord  his  God. 
Hence  his  impassioned  cry,  "Arise,  O  Lord!  save 
me,  O  my  God!"  It  is  true  that  David  marshalled 
his  forces  as  a  skilful  and  experienced  general  should, 
and  as  carefully  as  if  everything  in  the  battle  to 
ensue  was  to  be  accomplished  by  the  sword  alone ; — 
and  yet,  he  still  looked  to  God  alone  for  success. 
And  to  inspire  himself  with  confidence  that  the  Lord 
would  give  success,  he  refers  to  the  victories  he  had 
given  him  in  times  past,  saying,  "Thou  hast  smitten 
all  mine  enemies  upon  the  cheek-bone;  thou  hast 
broken  the  teeth  of  the  ungodly."  This  imagery  of 
breaking  the  cheek-bone  and  teeth  of  enemies,  is 
likening  them  to  those  wild  beasts  whose  great 
power  is  in  the  jaws  and  teeth,  so  that,  when  their 
jaws  and  teeth  are  broken,  their  power  to  injure  is 
gone.  The  imagery,  then,  indicates  that  the  Lord 
had  always  destroyed  the  power  of  David's  enemies 
to  injure  him.  And  as  the  Lord  had  subdued  his 
enemies  before  him  hitherto,  David  could  not  but 
believe  that  he  would  subdue  them  still.  This  his 
belief  was  not  in  vain,  as  the  speedy  winding-up  of 
Absalom's  rebellion  showed:  for  Absalom's  forces, 
though  outnumbering  his  father's,  probably  more 
than  ten  to  one,  were  utterly  routed  and  dispersed, 
and  himself  slain,  in  the  first  and  only  battle  fought. 
The  battle  was  the  Lord's,  the  victory  his,  and  to 
him  David  ascribes  it  in  these  words: 

Verse  8.     Salvation  belongeth  unto  the  Lord:  Thy  blessing  is 
upon  thy  people. 

David's  whole  history  proves  the  truth  of  this. 
And  let  none  of  us  suppose  that  the  history  of  David 
is  pecuHar.     The  salvation  of  every  one  of  us  is  as 


44  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

much  of  the  Lord,  as  David's  was.  If  we  have  been 
preserved,  it  has  been  because  his  hand  was  over  us. 
If  we  have  not  fallen  into  grievous  sins,  it  has  been 
because  his  grace  restrained  us.  If  we  have  not  been 
overcome,  either  by  external  or  internal  foes,  it 
has  been  because  he  was  a  shield  about  us,  and  a 
sustaining  power  within  us.  If  we  have  been  per- 
mitted to  indulge  the  hope  of  pardon  and  future 
happiness,  it  has  been  because  he  so  loved  the  world, 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  on  him  might  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life.  We  seek  in  vain  to  mention  any  good 
which  is  not  in  some  way  the  gift  of  God.  The 
mind  that  thinks,  the  heart  that  feels,  and  the  hand 
that  executes,  are  his,  and  are  blessings  to  us,  only  as 
he  makes  them  such.  How  truly  then  may  we  say 
that  "salvation  belongeth  unto  the  Lord!"  "If  he 
will  save,  none  can  destroy;  and  if  he  will  destroy, 
none  can  save."  This  being  so,  how  glorious  is  the 
assurance  wherewith  David  closes  this  third  psalm, 
saying, 

"Thy  blessing  is  upon  thy  people."  The  Lord  is 
indeed  good  to  all,  and  his  tender  mercies  are  over 
all  his  works ;  but  then  his  special  blessing  is  upon 
his  people.  He  watches  over  them  with  an  eye  that 
never  slumbers,  and  with  a  care  that  never  fails.  He 
is  their  good  Shepherd,  leading  them  forth  into 
green  pastures,  and  by  the  side  of  still  waters,  gently 
guiding  the  weak,  and  bearing  the  lambs  in  his  arms, 
and  carrying  them  in  his  bosom.  Hear  how  David 
speaks,  in  another  place,  of  this  blessing  of  the  Lord 
upon  his  people,  (Psalm  cxxi.)  "He  will  not  suffer 
thy  foot  to  be  moved:  he  that  keepeth  thee  will  not 


PSALM  in.  46 

slumber.  Behold,  he  that  keepeth  Israel  shall  neither 
slumber  nor  sleep.  The  Lord  is  thy  keeper;  the 
Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand.  The  sun 
shall  not  smite  thee  by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night. 
The  Lord  shall  preserve  thee  from  all  evil;  he  shall 
preserve  thy  soul."  In  promising,  however,  to  deliver 
us  from  all  evil,  God  has  not  promised  never  to  ajflict 
us.  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous.  But 
to  his  people,  affliction  is  not  an  evil,  since  he  sus- 
tains them  under  it,  according  to  his  promise,  (Isa. 
xliii.  2,)  and  makes  it,  with  all  things  else,  work 
together  for  their  good.  Who  then,  however  weak 
he  may  be  in  himself,  need  despair "?  Salvation 
belongeth  unto  the  Lord,  and  his  blessing  is  upon 
his  people:  and  the  prayer  of  faith  moves  both  his 
heart  and  his  hand  to  give  us  the  victory.  However 
sorely  then  you  may  be  afflicted,  or  tried,  or  tempted, 
believe  not  for  a  moment  that  there  is  no  help  for 
you  in  God.  If  you  have  forsaken  your  sins,  and  are 
looking  to  Christ  for  their  pardon,  and  grace  to  sin 
no  more,  there  is  help,  present  and  everlasting  help 
for  thee  in  him;  and  he  is  saying  to  thee,  even  now, 
"Fear  thou  not;  for  I  am  with  thee:  be  not  dis- 
mayed; for  I  am  thy  God.  I  will  strengthen  thee; 
yea,  I  -will  help  thee;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with 
the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness.  I  will  never 
leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee." 


48  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  IV. 

This  Psalm  is  believed  to  have  been  written  by 
David  on  the  same  occasion  as  the  last — the  rebel- 
lion of  Absalom.  It  is  written,  however,  in  more 
general  terms  than  the  last,  having  no  local  or  per- 
sonal allusion  in  it,  and  is,  on  that  account,  better 
suited  to  express  the  sentiments  of  any  suffering 
believer  in  the  Church  at  large,  and  in  all  ages.  It 
opens  with  the  impassioned  cry: 

Verse  1.  Hear  me  when  I  call,  0  God  of  my  righteousness: 
thou  hast  enlarged  me  when  I  was  in  distress;  have  mercy 
upon  me,  and  hear  my  prayer. 

This  appeal  of  David  to  God  as  the  God  of  his 
righteousness,  or  his  righteous  God,  implies  that  he 
thought  his  cause  one  that  a  righteous  God  could 
espouse.  This  is  a  fact  that  we  all  should  remem- 
ber; that  is,  to  ask  of  God  only  such  things  as  he 
can  grant  consistently  with  his  attributes.  We  should 
never  ask  anything,  the  granting  of  which  would 
cause  him  to  sacrifice  one  attribute  to  another.  Even 
in  asking  things  lawful,  it  is  still  to  be  done  in  sub- 
mission to  his  will.  It  cannot,  however,  but  increase 
our  expectation  of  a  favourable  answer,  that  what  we 
ask  is  for  the  glory  of  God.  This  was  the  conviction 
of  David.  He  was  suffering  for  the  cause  of  his  God, 
and  therefore  appeals  to  him  as  a  righteous  God  to 
deliver  him.  It  was  not  his  own  righteousness,  but 
the  righteousness  of  the  cause  for  which  he  was  suf- 
fering and  contending,  that  emboldened  him.  It  is 
well  for  us,  that  the  moving  cause  for  God's  hearing 


PSALM   IV.  47 

our  prayers,  is  out  of  our  wretched  selves ;  and  that 
faith  in  Christ  enables  us  to  appeal  to  God,  even  as 
a  God  of  justice,  to  pardon  our  sins,  and  save  our 
souls — to  pardon  and  save,  as  an  act  of  justice  to 
Christ,  though  still  an  act  altogether  of  mercy  to  us. 
It  is  indeed  true,  that  it  is  only  as  we  ourselves  are 
righteous,  through  faith  in  Christ,  and  lead,  as  the 
fruit  of  such  faith,  righteous  lives,  that  we  are 
authorized  to  assume  that  the  Lord  will  hear  us 
when  we  call  upon  him.  It  is  not,  however,  this 
threefold,  evangelical  righteousness,  that  David  pleads 
here;  but  the  righteousness  of  his  cause — the  cause 
of  God,  of  truth,  and  of  right — of  the  Lord  and  of 
his  Anointed. 

"Thou  hast  enlarged  me  when  I  was  in  distress; 
have  mercy  upon  me,  and  hear  my  prayer."  David 
makes  the  Lord's  former  mercies  to  him  an  argument 
for  their  continuance  and  repetition.  The  import  of 
his  words  is.  As  thou  hast  enlarged  me  when  I  was 
in  distress,  enlarge  me  again:  as  thou  hast  been  mer- 
ciful to  me,  be  merciful  to  me  again:  as  thou  hast 
heard  my  prayers,  hear  them  again:  as  thou  hast 
been  my  deliverer,  be  my  deliverer  still.  How 
strange  an  argument  would  this  be,  wherewith  to 
urge  man  to  help  us — because  he  had  already  helped 
us.  Nevertheless,  this  is  the  argument  wherewith 
David  urges  the  Lord:  "Thou  hast  enlarged  me 
when  I  was  in  distress;"  therefore  have  mercy  upon 
me  now,  and  hear  my  prayer.  Man  is  apt  to  reckon 
former  benefits  as  a  bar  both  to  asking  and  granting 
other  and  newer  ones.  It  is  otherwise  with  the  Lord. 
The  more  we  pray,  the  more  he  loves  to  hear  us 
pray;  the  more  he  gives,  the  more  ready  he  is  to  add 


48  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

to  his  gifts.  How  like  a  God!  And  does  not  this 
fact  alone  prove  the  religion  of  the  Bible  to  be  of 
celestial  origin "?  One  benefit  draws  another  after  it, 
and  still  another,  in  endless  succession.  But  won- 
derful as  this  aspect  of  the  Divine  goodness  is,  is  it 
not  in  reality  the  feeling,  when  duly  considered,  of 
every  pious  mind  used  to  prayer"?  That  is,  that  the 
more  frequently  the  Lord  has  heard  our  prayers  in 
times  past,  the  more  certainly  do  we  feel  that  he  will 
answer  them  in  time  to  come  1  that  if  he  has  deli- 
vered us  out  of  one  trouble,  he  will  deliver  us  out  of 
another,  and  still  another;  and  that,  if  in  answer  to 
our  intercessions  he  has  saved  one  soul  from  death, 
he  will  save  more]  What  a  God  is  ours,  to  be  moved 
by  his  past  mercies  to  us,  to  repeat  them ;  and  to  put 
it  into  the  heart  of  his  children  to  plead  his  past 
mercies  as  an  argument  for  their  repetition !  He  has 
nowhere  reproved  us  for  asking  much,  but  often  for 
not  asking  more. 

Verse  2.  0  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long  will  ye  turn  my  glory  into 
sliame?  how  long  will  ye  love  vanity,  and  seek  after  leasing? 
Selah. 

What  David  here  calls  "his  glory,"  may  mean, 
first,  his  regal  dignity  and  authority,  to  which  he 
had  been  elevated  from  a  shepherd  boy.  This  dig- 
nity and  authority  he  claimed  as  the  direct  and 
special  gift  of  God.  This  claim,  men  of  the  world 
ridiculed,  as  they  did  also  the  claim  of  the  Son  of 
David,  being  the  son  of  a  carpenter,  to  be  the  King 
of  Israel.  Men  can  ill  endure  to  see  those  whom,  in 
their  empty  pride,  they  will  not  regard  as  their 
equals,  elevated  above  them,  even  by  God  himself. 
Hence  they  persecuted  both  David,  and  the  Son  of 


PSALM   IV.  49 

David,  as  upstarts  and  pretenders.  It  was  not  the 
rabble  only  who  treated  them  in  this  way,  but  also 
the  "sons  of  men,"  the  great  and  the  mighty  ones  of 
the  earth.  But  they  opposed  them  in  vain — the 
throne  of  each  was  upheld  by  an  Almighty  God. 
David  then  could  well  demand,  How  long  w411  ye 
attempt  to  subvert  what  Omnipotence  has  deter- 
mined to  establish  1  Your  opposition  can  only  end 
in  your  own  ruin.  This  is  one  meaning  of  the  words. 
But  David's  regal  dignity  was  not  his  only  glory; 
nor  indeed  his  chief  glory.  His  chief  glory  was  his 
holy  life,  his  faith  in  God,  producing  holiness  and 
pureness  of  living.  This  also  "the  sons  of  men"  ridi- 
culed— turned  into  shame.  They  could  as  ill  endure 
his  holy  life  as  they  could  endure  his  righteous  rule. 
His  good,  therefore,  was  evil  spoken  of — he  became 
the  song  of  drunkards.  They  treated  the  Son  of 
David  in  the  same  way.  They  not  only  derided  his 
claim  to  be  the  King  of  Israel,  but  they  were  most 
of  all  offended  at  the  reproving  purity  of  his  life  and 
teaching.  The  light  of  truth,  purity  and  love  shining 
in  everything  he  said  and  did,  was  too  intense  not  to 
show  them  their  own  moral  deficiencies;  but  instead 
of  yielding  themselves  to  the  influences  of  that  light, 
they  laboured  to  turn  it  into  contempt.  And,  unhap- 
pily, has  not  this  too  often  been  the  treatment  expe- 
rienced by  those  of  his  followers,  who  would  be,  as  he 
was,  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from 
sinners^  The  world  will  smile  upon  you  so  long  as 
your  piety  is  not  of  a  character  to  reprove  them,  by 
any  marked  and  striking  contrast  between  your 
course  of  life  and  theirs.  Attempt,  however,  to  be 
a  Christian  indeed — to  govern  yourself  in  all  things 
5 


50  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

by  the  law  of  God,  insomuch  that  the  world  are 
obliged  to  see  that  if  your  course  is  right,  theirs  is 
wrong;  that  if  yours  alone  can  lead  to  heaven,  they 
are  lost — do  this,  and  both  their  aspect  and  their  lan- 
guage towards  you  change.  The  consistency  of  your 
life  with  the  principles  of  your  religion  is  stigmatized 
as  weak,  superstitious,  austere ;  and  to  fix  the  stigma 
more  indelibly,  how  many  members  of  the  Church 
join  the  cry,  and  add,  "illiberal,  narrow-minded, 
puritanical."  It  is  thus  that  man's  highest  glory, 
his  faith  in  God  producing  holiness  and  pureness  of 
living,  has  always  been  disparaged  by  the  world,  and 
the  allies  of  the  world  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church. 
And  David  demands  of  the  men  of  the  world  of  his 
day,  how  long  they  would  pour  contempt  upon  this 
highest  ornament  of  a  rational  nature — this  only 
thing  that  brings  the  soul  into  communion  with  infi- 
nite purity,  under  the  protection  of  infinite  power, 
and  spreads  before  it  an  inheritance  of  glory,  honour, 
and  immortaUty.  To  seek  my  happiness  in  this  way, 
says  David,  I  reckon  "my  glory;"  you  despise  and 
disparage  it,  and  turn  it  into  shame.  You  are  sur- 
prised and  scandalized  at  my  mode  of  seeking  happi- 
ness; I  am  still  more  surprised  and  scandalized  at 
yours.  I  demand,  therefore,  "How  long  will  ye 
love  vanity,  and  seek  after  leasing  f  I  seek  honour 
and  happiness  in  loving  and  serving  God;  you,  in 
loving  and  serving  the  world.  I  seek  honour  and 
happiness  in  the  true  and  eternal;  you,  in  the  false 
and  perishable.  What  you  love  is  vanity,  emptiness, 
and  nought;  what  I  love  is  a  substantial  and  ever- 
lasting good.  What  you  seek  after,  is  leasing,  that 
is  to  say,  a  lie,  a  something  that  excites  your  hopes 


PSALM   IV.  51 

only  to  disappoint  them;  what  I  seek  after,  is  truth, 
a  something  that  can  never  deceive.  In  this  way- 
did  David  demonstrate  that  it  was  not  his  course, 
but  theirs,  that  should  be  turned  into  shame.  They 
could  oppose  him  and  his  government,  but  their 
opposition  could  injure  none  but  themselves.  They 
could  ridicule  his  trust  in  God  as  the  only  hope  and 
portion  of  his  soul,  but  their  ridicule  could  be  turned 
with  infinitely  greater  force  against  what  they  had 
chosen  as  the  hope  and  portion  of  their  souls.  The 
object  of  their  love  and  pursuit  was,  as  the  words 
vanity  and  leasing  mean,  a  lying  vanity — a  something 
full  of  deceit  and  full  of  emptiness.  And  has  not 
this  been  the  sad  confession  of  thousands  who  have 
sought  the  things  of  this  world  as  the  satisfying 
portion  of  their  souls'?  In  the  full  enjoyment  of 
every  earthly  good,  they  have  still,  even  with  bleed- 
ing hearts,  been  obUged  to  say,  "Vanity  of  vanities! 
all  is  vanity,  and  vexation  of  spirit."  And  as  this  is 
invariably  the  final  result  of  seeking  happiness  in  the 
things  of  earth,  there  is  even  a  startling  emphasis  in 
the  words,  ''How  long  will  ye  love  vanity,  and  seek 
after  leasing f  But  still  farther  to  illustrate  the 
certainty  of  his  own  happiness — not  seeking  it  in 
the  creature,  but  in  God,  the  Creator,  David  adds: 

Verse  3.     Know  ye  that  the  Lord  hath  set  apart  him  that  is 
godly  for  himself:  the  Lord  will  hear  when  I  call  unto  him. 

This  is  both  the  privilege  and  the  glory  of  the 
man  who  loves,  and  is  in  turn  loved  by  his  Maker. 
The  Lord  hath  set  him  apart  for  himself,  to  be  the 
special  recipient  of  his  favours.     It  is  of  such  that 


62  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

we  read,  "They  shall  be  mine,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  in  that  day  when  I  make  up  my  jewels;  and  I 
will  spare  them  as  a  man  spareth  his  own  son  that 
serveth  him."  Mai.  iii.  17.  It  is  useless,  therefore, 
says  David  to  those  opposing  his  rule  over  them, 
and  deriding  his  trust  in  God — it  is  useless  for  you 
to  set  yourselves  against  the  godly  man ;  he  is  under 
the  special  protection  of  the  Lord  Almighty. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  God  set  apart  his  o"svn  Son 
for  himself,  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes 
of  truth  and  mercy  toward  man.  It  is  in  this  way, 
too,  that  he  sets  apart  for  himself  every  one  bearing 
the  image  of  his  Son;  and  every  one  bearing  that 
image  can  say,  with  the  same  assurance  as  David  said 
it,  "The  Lord  will  hear  me  when  I  call  unto  him. 
The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon  the  righteous;  and 
his  ears  are  open  unto  their  cry."  Psalm  xxxiv.  15. 
It  is  for  them,  and  for  them  alone,  that  the  world 
exists ;  that  seed-time  and  harvest,  summer  and  win- 
ter, day  and  night,  cease  not;  and  that  the  rainbow 
spans  the  brow  of  the  retreating  storm.  It  may  be 
a  humiliating  thought  to  the  great  and  mighty  of 
the  earth,  that  God  keeps  the  world  in  being,  not 
for  them — not  to  perfect  any  of  their  schemes — but 
for  the  godly  man — to  perfect  his  soul  in  holiness. 
If  an  hour  should  ever  come  in  the  history  of  our 
world,  when  there  should  be  no  longer  a  soul  on 
earth  qualifying  for  heaven,  it  is  hardly  to  be 
doubted,  that  that  hour  would  he  the  last  of  time. 
There  would  be,  in  that  case,  no  longer  anything 
here  worth  keeping  the  earth  in  existence  for  an- 
other moment. 


PSALM   IV.  53 

Vkrses  4,  5.  Stand  in  awe,  and  sin  not:  commune  with  your 
own  heart  upon  your  bed,  and  be  still.  Offer  the  sacrifices 
of  righteousness,  and  put  your  trust  in  the  Lord. 

The  ungodly  and  the  worldly-minded  are  here 
exhorted  to  repentance,  and  the  three  great  steps 
leading  to  conversion  are  described.  The  first  step 
is  solitary  self-reflection.  "Stand  in  awe,  and  sin 
not:  commune  with  your  own  heart  upon  your  bed, 
and  be  still."  It  is  for  want  of  reflection  that  men 
do  not  fear  God,  and  realize  their  dependence  on 
his  favour.  Want  of  reflection  is  the  great  source 
of  all  irreligion.  Convinced  of  this,  the  conductors 
of  a  certain  seminary  of  learning  made  it  one  of  the 
standing  regulations  of  the  institution,  that  every 
pupil  should  daily  retire  alone  to  her  chamber  for  a 
half-hour's  solitary  reflection  upon  herself  and  her 
Maker.  This  solitary  half-hour's  daily  communing 
with  God  and  their  own  consciences  was  not  without 
its  legitimate  efi'ect.  Many  a  pupil,  who  at  first 
thought  the  half-hour  would  be  an  agreeable  escape 
from  the  confinement  of  the  school-room,  began, 
when  brought,  as  it  were,  face  to  face  with  God  and 
their  consciences,  to  entertain  new  and  startling 
views  both  of  Him  and  of  themselves,  and  to  ask 
the  question,  "What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved"?"  It 
was  all,  however,  only  the  legitimate  effect  of  soli- 
taiy  self-reflection.  This,  rightly  pursued, .  must 
cause  us  to  flee  from  ourselves  and  the  creature,  to 
the  Lord.  It  was  thus  that  reflection  wrought  on 
David.  "  I  thought,"  says  he,  "  upon  my  ways,  and 
turned  my  feet  unto  thy  testimonies.  I  made  haste, 
and  delayed  not  to  keep  thy  commandments."  Ps. 
cxix.  59,  60. 
5* 


54  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

The  second  step  is,  "oiFer  the  sacrifices  of  right- 
eousness"— that  is,  "cease  to  do  evil;  learn  to  do 
well."  The  offerings  of  righteousness  here  enjoined 
are  not  the  material  offerings  of  the  Levitical  law, 
but  the  offerings  of  love  and  obedience.  It  is 
thought  by  some  that  the  words,  "offer  the  sacri- 
fices of  righteousness^''  allude  to  Absalom's  hypocriti- 
cal sacrifices,  and  especially  to  his  pretended  vow  to 
be  paid  at  Hebron,  when  he  went  there  only  to  raise 
the  standard  of  rebellion.  2  Sam.  xv.  7,  8.  There 
is  then  an  emphasis  in  the  words,  urging  us  to  love 
God  for  himself  alone,  and  to  obey  him,  without 
pretence  and  without  hypocrisy. 

The  third  and  last  step  is  faith;  for  David  adds, 
after  enjoining  solitary  self-reflection  and  holy  obe- 
dience, "and  put  your  trust  in  the  Lord."  Here  is 
the  act  that  secures  to  us  the  pardon  of  our  sins,  the 
renovation  of  our  hearts,  the  enlightening  and  sanc- 
tifying influences  of  the  Divine  Spirit.  It  is  an  act 
that  renders  sin  hateful  to  the  soul,  and  holiness  its 
desire  and  delight. 

Verse  6.     There  be  many  that  say,  Who  will  show  us  any  good? 
Lord,  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  countenance  upon  us. 

"Who  will  show  us  any  good]" — or  rather,  as  the 
word  any  is  not  in  the  original.  Who  will  show  us 
good? — that  is,  M^good,  the  possession  of  which  will 
leave  man  to  desire  nothing  more.  Believing  that 
there  must  be  such  an  all-satisfying  good  for  him 
somewhere,  and  conscious  of  not  possessing  it,  man 
has  been  evermore  inquiring  where  it  is  to  be  found, 
and  wherein  it  consists.  Hence  the  endless  dispu- 
tations of  the  old  philosophers  in  regard  to  the  chief 
good,  some  placing  it  in  one  thing,  some  in  another, 


PSALM   IV.  55 

and  all  missing  the  mark.  This  question,  as  to  the 
one  only  thing  that  can  render  man  perfectly  and 
everlastingly  happy — a  question  that  must  agitate 
every  mind  conscious  of  its  weakness,  and  wants, 
and  immortality — was  propounded  to  the  Psalmist; 
and  how  does  he  answer  if? 

Lord,  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  countenance  upon 
us.  This  is  David's  answer  as  to  what  constitutes 
man's  chief  good.  It  is  the  light  of  God's  counte- 
nance shining  upon  the  soul.  It  is  that  one  only 
thing  which  will  so  fill  and  possess  the  soul,  as  to 
leave  it  nothing  more  to  desire.  The  answer  is,  for 
substance,  the  same  as  the  Levitical  high  priest's 
divinely  worded  benediction  of  old,  saying,  "The 
Lord  bless  thee,  and  keep  thee:  the  Lord  make  his 
face  to  shine  upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee: 
the  Lord  lift  up  his  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give 
thee  peace."  Num.  vi.  24-26.  The  answer  is  also 
substantially  the  same  as  the  benediction  at  the  end 
of  our  communion  service,  which  reads,  "  the  peace 
of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  keep  your 
hearts  and  minds  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God, 
and  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord:  and  the  bless- 
ing of  God  Almighty,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  be  amongst  you,  and  remain  with  you 
always."  It  is  the  blessing  then  of  the  triune  God 
that  enriches  the  soul  for  ever — gives  it  infinite 
power  upon  which  to  repose,  infinite  goodness  to 
love — in  short,  infinite  perfections  of  every  kind 
upon  which  to  exercise  its  endlessly  expanding 
powers,  both  of  feeling  and  of  intellect.  What  more 
can  the  soul  need,  what  more  can  it  ask,  than  the 
secure  and  everlasting  possession  of  such  a  good  as 


56  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

this"?  Hear  how  David  speaks  of  the  effect  which 
the  Lord's  lifting  up  the  hght  of  his  countenance 
upon  him  had  upon  him : 

Verse  7.     Thou  hast  put  gladness  into  my  heart  more  than  in 
the  time  that  their  corn  and  their  wine  increased. 

The  worldly  man  knows  no  greater  joy  than  that 
afforded  him  by  the  due  returns  of  his  labour.  An 
abundant  harvest,  a  prosperous  commerce,  a  thriving 
trade,  or  a  lucrative  profession,  puts  its  highest  glad- 
ness into  his  heart.  He  knows  no  joy  independent 
of  eocternal  circumstances!  It  was  otherwise  with 
David.  His  joy  was  not  only  greater  than  any 
afforded  by  external  circumstances,  but  wholly  inde- 
pendent of  them.  If  this  psalm  was  conceived  while 
he  was  fleeing  before  Absalom,  he  was  dependent 
upon  the  charity  of  a  faithful  servant  to  keep  himself 
and  followers  from  literal  starvation.  2  Sam.  xvi.  1,2. 
But  in  the  midst  of  this  utter  destitution  of  every 
external  comfort,  he  declares  the  joy  of  his  heart  to 
be  greater  than  that  of  his  enemies  in  the  midst  of 
their  abundance.  Such  is  the  joy  that  the  light  of 
God's  countenance,  falling  upon  it,  excites  in  the 
heart  of  the  believer,  even  in  the  darkest  hour  of  the 
darkest  night  of  adversity.  His  joy  lives  an  inex- 
tinguishable life  even  in  such  an  hour;  and  well  it 
may,  for  it  is  God  himself  who  pours  the  living  tide 
through  his  heart.  And  how  sweetly  does  David 
describe  its  soothing  and  sustaining  power  when,  in 
spite  of  aU  his  dangers  and  privations,  he  says : 

Verse  8.     I  will  both  lay  me  down  in  peace  and  sleep:  for  thou, 
Lord,  only  niakest  me  to  dwell  in  safety. 

The  Hebrew  word  here  translated  both,,  would 
give  the  thought  better  if  it  were  translated  into  the 


PSALM   IV.  67 

phrase  at  once;  and  so  translated,  how  perfect  a  pic- 
ture does  it  give  us  of  a  mind  at  ease!  David  was 
hemmed  in  by  foes  on  every  side,  but  instead  of  still 
watching,  when  the  hour  for  rest  had  come,  dismiss- 
ing every  fear,  he  says,  "I  will  at  once  lay  me  down 
in  peace,  and  sleep."  A  more  helpless  condition  than 
that  of  profound  sleep  cannot  be  imagined;  but  David 
commits  himself  to  it,  as  void  of  fear  as  a  child  in  its 
father's  arms.  He  explains,  however,  the  origin  of 
his  supernatural  composure  in  the  words, 

"  For  thou.  Lord,  only  makest  me  to  dwell  in 
safety."  Man  was  labouring  to  do  him  all  the  evil  he 
could,  but  he  knew  that  the  Lord  alone — though 
every  friend  besides  should  forsake  him  and  combine 
against  him — still  that  the  Lord  alone  could  make 
him  dwell  in  safety.  And  with  this  thought  still 
upon  his  mind,  he  falls  asleep  as  sweetly  and 
securely  as  if  he  had  not  an  enemy  in  the  world! 
How  sublime  a  thing  is  faith !  how  it  elevates  a  man 
above  himself;  and  how  certainly  must  it  be  the 
inspiration  of  Him  in  whose  power  and  goodness  it 
trusts! 

This  is  a  most  instructive  psalm.  The  first  verse 
teaches  us  that,  as  a  God  of  righteousness,  God 
loveth  and  defendeth  the  right;  and,  as  such,  can 
grant  even  to  our  prayers,  only  that  which  is  right  in 
itself,  or  through  the  merits  of  his  Son ;  and  yet,  that 
approaching  him  in  this  way,  we  may  even  plead  his 
former  mercies  to  us  as  an  argument  for  their  repeti- 
tion. The  second  verse  teaches  us  that  man's  high- 
est glory  is  faith,  is  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  that  they 
who  seek  true,  substantial  glory  in  any  other  way, 
are  chasing  a  shadow.     The  third  verse  teaches  us 


58  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

that  God's  choicest  treasure  of  earth  is  the  godly- 
man;  that  he  has  set  apart  every  such  man  for  him- 
self, for  the  reception  of  his  own  glorious  moral  attri- 
butes and  character.  The  third  and  fourth  verses 
describe  the  process  of  conversion — that  it  begins 
with  solitary  self-reflection,  communing  with  one's 
own  heart;  passes  thence  to  a  determined  amend- 
ment of  life ;  and  ends  in  an  unfaltering  trust  in  the 
mercy  of  God  alone  for  salvation.  The  sixth  verse 
asks  what  that  good  is,  the  possession  of  which  will 
make  man  so  entirely  happy  as  to  leave  him  nothing 
more  to  desire,  and  answers  the  question,  by  de- 
claring the  favour  of  God,  the  light  of  his  counte- 
nance upon  the  soul,  to  be  that  good;  and  then  it  is 
affirmed  in  the  verse  following,  that  his  smile  puts  a 
joy  and  gladness  into  the  heart  above  any  that  the 
world  can  bestow.  The  eighth  and  last  verse  des- 
cribes the  man  who  is  filled  with  the  consciousness 
of  possessing  this  good,  falling  asleep  sweetly  and 
securely  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  dangers.  Who, 
then,  would  not  desire  to  possess  this  all-sufficing 
good]  It  can  be  obtained  by  faith  in  Him  through 
whose  death  it  was  purchased.  Possess  yourselves 
of  that  faith,  and  then  will  the  weakest  and  most 
timid  of  you  be  enabled  to  say,  not  only  at  the  close 
of  each  succeeding  day,  "  I  will  at  once  lay  me  down 
in  peace  and  sleep,"  but  to  say  it  also  when  the  hour 
comes  wherein  you  must  compose  yourself  for  that 
sleep  that  shall  know  no  waking,  until  the  trumpet 
of  the  angel  of  the  resurrection  breaks  up  for  ever 
the  slumbers  of  the  dead. 


PSALM   V.  69 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  V. 

David  seems  to  have  been  thoroughly  persuaded 
that  men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint; 
never  to  grow  weary  if  an  answer  did  not  come  as 
soon  as  was  expected,  or  in  the  way  desired.  Prayer 
seems  to  have  been  as  necessary  to  him  as  the  play 
of  his  lungs  and  the  pulsations  of  his  heart.  How 
many  of  his  psalms  open  with  a  cry  to  obtain  mercy 
and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need!  And  so 
earnestly  does  his  soul  pant  upwards  to  God,  that  he 
repeats  the  same  thing  over  and  over  in  nearly  the 
same  words;  and  yet  always  so  that  each  succeeding 
repetition  is  still  a  variation,  expressing  another 
shade  of  the  vehement  intensity  of  his  desires.  Of 
this  striking  peculiarity  of  David's  prayers  we  have 
an  illustration  in  the  first  three  verses  of  the  psalm 
before  us.  Its  fer\id  repetitions  indicate  a  soul  feel- 
ing that  it  cannot  be  denied.  They  remind  one  of 
the  repetitions  of  Daniel  pleading  for  the  deliverance 
of  captive  Israel,  saying,  "  O  my  God,  incline  thine 
ear,  and  hear;  open  thine  eyes,  and  behold  our  deso- 
lations. O  Lord,  hear;  O  Lord,  forgive;  O  Lord, 
hearken  and  do;  defer  not  for  thine  own  sake,  O  my 
God."  They  also  remind  one  of  the  repetitions  in 
the  prayer  of  the  Saviour  in  Gethsemane,  a  third 
time  saying  the  same  words.  Matt.  xxvi.  44.  There 
is,  however,  although  repetitions,  no  tautology  in 
these  petitions  of  David,  for  the  petitions, 

Verse  1.  Give  ear  unto  my  words,  0  Lord;  consider  my  medi- 
tation, 

Indicate  two  distinct  forms  and  phases   of  prayer. 


60  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

"  Give  ear  unto  my  words,  O  Lord,"  indicates  the  offer- 
ing up  of  such  desires  as  can  be  adequately  expressed 
in  words,  whereas,  "  consider  my  meditation,'^  indicates 
the  offering  up  to  God  of  such  desires  as  cannot  be 
adequately  expressed  in  words.  The  soul  is  capable 
of  spiritual  aspirations  too  intense  for  utterance.  It 
is  of  such  aspirations  that  the  apostle  speaks,  when 
he  says,  "the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for 
us  with  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered."  Rom. 
viii.  26. 

This  accords  with  the  experience  of  every  hum- 
ble, earnest  child  of  God.  How  often  is  he  con- 
scious of  hungerings  and  thirstings  after  righteous- 
ness, that  can  be  expressed  only  in  sighs!  Bishop 
Home  translates  the  word  meditation,  "dove-like 
meanings."  The  moaning  of  the  dove  is  one  of  the 
most  plaintive  sounds  in  nature.  Its  tones  remind 
one  more  of  a  broken  heart,  bemoaning  the  absence 
of  its  chief  delight,  than  anything  else  that  can  be 
conceived.  It  is  thus  that  the  broken  heart  and 
contrite  spirit  bemoans  the  absence  of  its  chief 
delight,  the  light  of  God's  countenance.  It  can 
only  sigh  after  the  grace  it  needs.  Hence,  in  the 
words,  "  give  ear  to  my  words,"  and,  "  consider  my 
meditation,"  David  prays  the  Lord  to  grant  him,  not 
only  the  desires  he  has  been  able  to  clothe  in  lan- 
guage, but  also  the  desires  which  he  has  been  able 
to  express  only  in  sighs  and  plaintive  moans.  For 
God's  ear,  however,  these  sighs  and  moans  have  a 
louder  tongue  than  words.  The  Lord  looks  upon 
the  heart,  sees  all  its  unutterable  desires,  and  answers 
them  all  as  prayer. 


PSALM   V.  Gl 

Verse  2.     Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my  cry,  my  King  and  my 
God;  for  unto  thee  will  I  pray. 

This  verse  describes  an  earnestness  in  prayer, 
which  neither  deliberately  chosen  words,  nor  sighs, 
nor  moans,  can  adequately  express.  The  vehe- 
mency  of  the  desires  finds  utterance  only  in  a  cry  for 
help.  Of  this  form  of  prayer  we  have  an  illustration 
in  the  history  of  our  Lord,  who,  in  the  days  of  his 
flesh,  offered  up  prayers  and  supplications  with 
strong  crying  and  tears.  Heb.  v.  7.  There  are  times 
when  the  powers  of  darkness  so  assail  the  soul,  that 
an  agonized  cry  for  deliverance  is  its  only  language 
of  prayer.  They  so  assailed  the  soul  of  the  Saviour, 
when  he  uttered  that  loud  cry,  "  My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  thou  forsaken  me!"  Matt,  xxvii.  46.  Such 
an  hour  of  darkness  seems  to  have  come  upon  the 
soul  of  David,  and  is  liable  to  come  upon  the  soul  of 
every  believer.  This  fact  David  indicates  in  the 
words,  "  Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my  cry,  my  King 
and  my  God."  He  appeals  unto  the  Lord,  first,  as 
his  King,  as  one  who  cannot  but  protect  and  deliver 
his  servant  and  subject;  and  then  to  him  as  his  God, 
all-sufficient  to  satisfy  his  every  want  and  realize  his 
every  desire.  To  thee,  therefore,  he  says,  will  I 
pray.  Here  then  in  the  first  two  verses  of  our  psalm 
are  three  distinct  varieties  of  prayer.  "  Give  ear  unto 
my  words,"  is  prayer  that  can  be  clothed  in  delibe- 
rately chosen  language.  "  Consider  my  meditation," 
is  the  prayer  of  unutterable  desires.  "  Give  ear  unto 
my  cry,"  is  the  prayer  of  agonized  distress,  of  an 
overwhelming  sense  of  sin  and  need  of  mercy.  It  is 
the  cry  of  Peter  sinking  in  the  waves,  "  Lord,  save !  I 
perish!"  These  seem  to  have  been  David's  prayers 
6 


62  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

during  the  night ;  and  he  resolves  that  tliey  shall  be 
his  prayer  also  in  the  morning;  for  he  adds, 

Verse  3.  My  voice  shalt  thou  hear  in  the  morninfj;,  0  Lord;  in 
the  morning  will  I  direct  my  prayer  unto  thee;  .and  will 
look  up. 

Having  passed  the  night  in  communion  with  God, 
David  resolved  to  begin  the  day  with  him;  wisely, 
too,  for  there  is  much  more  need  of  the  blessing  of 
God  upon  us  during  the  trials  and  temptations  of  the 
day,  than  there  is  during  the  repose  of  the  night. 
The  right  way,  however,  is  both  to  begin  and  end 
the  day  with  God,  to  open  it  with  prayer,  and  close 
it  with  the  same  key.  It  was  the  Saviour's  practice. 
And  if  He,  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  needed  such 
incessant  prayer,  how  much  more  must  we  need  it! 
"  In  the  morning  will  I  direct  my  prayer  unto  thee, 

0  Lord:"  not  at  night  only,  but  also  in  the  morning, 

1  will  spread  out  my  desires  and  petitions  in  order 
before  thee,  and  look  up ;  keep  my  eye  henceforth 
fixed  upon  thee  to  watch  what  answer  thou  wilt 
return  to  them.  This  seems  to  be  the  import  of  the 
words.  It  is  too  much  the  habit  of  Christians  to 
pray  without  watching  for  an  answer  to  their  prayers. 
It  was  not  so  with  David.  As  his  prayers  ascended, 
he  looked  up,  followed  them  with  his  whole  soul,  to 
learn  what  report  they  would  bring  back.  No  man 
prays  in  earnest,  who  does  not  earnestly  expect  an 
answer  to  his  prayers. 

Verse  4.  For  thou  art  not  a  God  that  hath  pleasure  in  wicked- 
ness :  neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  thee. 

In  praying  that  wickedness  may  come  to  an  end, 
and  righteousness  be  established  in  its  stead,  we 
know  that  we  are  asking  things  that  are  agreeable 


PSALM   V.  63 

to  the  nature  and  purposes  of  God;  and  may  there- 
fore plead  his  nature  and  purposes  as  a  motive  with 
him  to  hear  us,  saying  to  him,  as  David  does  here, 
"  For  thou  art  not  a  God  that  hath  pleasure  in  wick- 
edness: neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  thee."  It  is 
well  for  us,  it  is  well  for  the  universe,  that  God  can- 
not endure  moral  evil,  that  sin  is  a  thing  that  his 
soul  hateth.  If  his  infinite  nature  were  not  opposed 
to  it,  and  bent  on  its  destruction,  every  moral  intel- 
ligence in  the  universe  would  become  a  fiend,  and 
spend  its  immortality  in  finding  in  the  lowest  depths 
of  degradation,  "  a  lower  depth,  still  opening  wide." 
As  much  then  as  men  may  dislike  the  infinite  holiness 
of  God,  it  is  our  only  guaranty  that  the  entire  uni- 
verse will  not  become  a  hell,  and  every  rational  crea- 
ture therein  a  fiend.  God's  infinite  holiness,  how- 
ever, is  not  set  upon  the  destruction  of  evil  only,  but 
also  of  evArdoers.     Hence  the  words. 

Verse  5.     The  foolisli  shall  not  stand  in  thy  sight:  thou  hatest 
all  workers  of  iniquity. 

God  bears  long  with  evil-doers,  urges  them  long 
and  affectionately  to  turn  from  their  e-vdl  ways:  but 
when  they  still  persevere,  he  at  last,  though  most 
unwillingly,  overwhelms  them.  The  foolish — not 
those  who  are  deficient  in  natural  capacity,  but  those 
who  make  no  good  use  of  their  reason,  who  act  like 
fools  in  opposing  God's  truth — shall  not  stand  in  his 
sight:  he  would  not  be  God  if  he  could  endlessly 
tolerate  such  persons  in  their  folly ;  for  though  his 
forbearance,  up  to  a  certain  point,  is  the  great  glory 
of  his  character,  if  it  were  extended  beyond  that 
point,  it  would  become  a  weakness  and  a  crime. 


64  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Verse  6.  Thou  shalt  destroy  tliem  that  speak  leasing :  the  Lord 
will  ahhor  the  bloody  and  deceitful  man. 

To  speak  leasing  is  to  utter  untruths.  As  God 
abhors  the  gates  of  hell,  so  He  abhors  the  man,  or 
woman,  that  utters  a  falsehood.  He  has  declared  that 
all  such  shall  have  their  part  in  the  lake  that  burnetii 
with  fire  and  brimstone.  Eev.  xxi.  8.  A  want  of 
truthfulness  is  a  want  of  everything  upon  which  we 
can  reasonably  build  a  hope  of  anything  good  for  the 
soul.  In  the  verse  before  us  a  want  of  it  is  associ- 
ated with  blood.  He  who  abhors  not  the  uttering  of 
a  lie,  is  likely  to  be  a  bloody,  as  well  as  a  deceitful 
man.  God,  therefore,  regards  a  want  of  truthfulness 
with  the  same  abhorrence  as  that  with  which  he 
regards  murder:  for,  says  another,  "Let  it  be  re- 
membered that,  in  the  Scriptures,  lying  and  murder 
are  invariable  companions  of  deceit,  treachery,  and 
circumvention."  God's  whole  soul  is  set  against 
moral  evil,  to  root  it  out  of  his  universe.  This  was 
David's  hope  that  he  would  deliver  him  from  all 
moral  evil,  whether  internal  or  external,  the  moral 
evil  of  his  own  heart,  or  that  of  the  world  around 
him.  And  this  is  the  hope  of  every  behever,  praying 
to  be  delivered  from  the  same.  How  bright  in  hope, 
then,  even  to  us  sinfid  creatures,  is  God's  holiness, 
regarded  as  the  source  of  human  holiness,  and  as 
moving  him  freely  to  communicate  it  to  all  who 
ask  it! 

Verse  7.  But  as  for  me,  I  will  come  into  thy  house  in  the  mul- 
titude of  thy  mercy :  and  in  thy  fear  will  I  worship  toward 
thy  holy  temple. 

It  shall  not  fare  with  David  as  it  shall  with  his 
enemies,  the  men  who   utter   falsehood  and  make 


PSALM   V.  65 

haste  to  shed  hlood.  They  shall  perish,  but  he  shall 
survive;  nor  survive  only,  but  stand  again  in  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  in  his  holy  temple,  and  feel 
again  the  power  of  his  presence  over  the  mercy-seat 
in  the  holy  of  hohes.  Such  is  the  privilege  of  the 
beUever,  still  to  believe,  in  the  darkest  hour  of  trial, 
that  there  is  mercy  in  store  for  him;  still  to  beUeve 
that  he  will  yet  stand  in  the  Divine  presence  to  ren- 
der thanks  for  divine  deliverances,  and  to  receive 
new  accessions  of  strength,  to  go  on  his  way  rejoicing 
and  conquering. 

Verse  8.     Lead  me,  O  Lord,  in  thy  righteousness,  because  of 
mine  enemies;  make  thy  way  straight  before  my  face. 

How  desirable  that  we  should  be  enabled  so  to 
walk  in  the  ways  of  truth  and  holiness,  that  our  very 
enemies  shall  not  be  able  to  say  any  evil  of  us, 
unless  they  say  it  falsely.  It  is  for  guidance  of  this 
sort  that  David  prays  here.  He  knew  that  keen  and 
hostile  eyes  were  on  him,  watching  him  with  ill 
intent.  They  so  watched  the  Son  of  David.  Satan 
endeavoured  to  seduce  him,  wicked  men  to  entangle 
him,  and  both  to  destroy  him.  It  is  not  otherwise 
with  any  of  his  followers.  They,  too,  are  watched 
by  keen  observers,  and  enemies  of  all  righteousness. 
If  the  religion  we  profess  be  true,  it  convicts  its 
adversaries  of  the  greatest  conceivable  folly.  They 
therefore  fasten  with  eagerness  upon  anything  that 
even  seems  to  weaken  its  claims  to  a  Divine  origin, 
and  especially  upon  the  faults  of  its  professors.  A 
holy  life  is  an  argument  in  favour  of  the  heavenly 
origin  of  our  religion,  whose  force  its  adversaries  feel 
more  than  they  do  that  of  any  other.  It  silences 
their  cavils,  and  extorts  their  homage.  Hence,  the 
6* 


66  LECTURES   ON   THE    PSALMS. 

moral  importance  of  leading  such  a  life,  and,  in  order 
thereto,  of  the  prayer,  "Lead  me,  O  Lord,  in  thy 
righteousness,  because  of  mine  enemies;  make  thy 
way  straight  before  me."  This  leading  God  accom- 
plishes for  his  people,  sometimes  by  moving  directly 
upon  their  oAvn  hearts,  sometimes  by  moving  upon 
the  hearts  of  others  in  their  behalf,  and  sometimes  by 
the  direct  interpositions,  as  well  as  by  the  general 
orderings,  of  his  providence. 

Verse  9.  For  there  is  no  faithfulness  in  their  mouth;  their 
inward  part  is  very  wickedness;  their  throat  is  an  open 
sepulchre;  they  flatter  with  their  tongue. 

This  is  a  dark  picture  of  the  moral  character  of 
the  men  in  the  midst  of  whom  David  prays  to  be 
divinely  guided.  "  There  is  no  ftiithfulness  in  their 
mouth" — there  is  nothing  certain  in  their  words; 
they  say,  and  do  not;  say  one  thing,  and  mean 
another;  they  conceal,  evade,  colour,  and  exaggerate 
the  truth;  or,  what  is  the  worst  sort  of  falsehood, 
tell  but  half  the  truth;  and  though  they  see  and 
know  that  they  have  made  a  false  and  injurious 
impression,  they  take  no  pains  to  remove  it.  "  Their 
inward  part  is  very  wickedness;"  the  bent  of  their 
minds  is  to  evil,  and  only  evil  continually;  the  heart 
is  corrupt,  the  will  perverse,  and  the  understanding 
darkened.  The  whole  inner  spirit  is  depraved. 
"  Their  throat  is  an  open  sepulchre."  The  oriental 
sepulchre  is  generally  constructed  above  the  ground, 
and  often  excavated  out  of  the  solid  rock,  having  a 
door  that  can  be  thrown  widely  open,  and  when  so 
open,  it  sends  forth  putrid  and  pestilent  exhalations, 
the  pent-up  malaria  of  decaying  death.  In  a  similar 
way,  from  an  inward  part  of  very  wickedness,  from  a 


PSALM   V.  67 

mass  of  corruption  festering  within  them,  the  wicked 
send  forth,  through  their  throat,  exhalations  of  moral 
and  spiritual  death.  What  else  than  such  an  open 
sepulchre  is  the  throat  of  the  profane,  the  obscene, 
the  re  viler,  and  the  caviller?  The  wicked  do  not, 
however,  always  deal  in  gross  attacks  upon  our  reli- 
gion. Failing  sometimes  to  accomplish  their  aims 
and  wishes  in  that  way,  they  vary  their  tactics. 
They  flatter  with  their  tongue — some  read  the  ori- 
ginal, "they  smooth  their  tongue."  "By  good  words 
and  fair  speeches  they  deceive  the  hearts  of  the 
simple."  Rom.  xvi.  18.  Discarding  the  profane  and 
obscene  ribaldry  of  the  school  of  Paine  and  Vol- 
taire, they  adopt  the  polished  style  and  phraseology 
of  the  school  of  Hume  and  Gibbon;  urging  at 
one  time,  historical,  at  another  scientific,  and  at  still 
another,  some  other  learned  objection  to  the  doc- 
trines or  facts  of  our  holy  religion;  doing  all,  how- 
ever, with  the  air  of  men  who  sincerely  ivished  their 
difficulties  removed,  to  the  end  that  they  themselves 
might  believe.  There  is  often,  therefore,  no  little 
praise  and  panegyric  mixed  up  with  their  objec- 
tions; but  the  praise  is  added  only  to  give  their 
objections  greater  force.  They  assume  the  air  and 
language  of  friends,  only  to  do  the  work  of  an  enemy 
with  more  telling  effect.  Professing  the  greatest 
desire  that  the  truth  of  Scripture  should  remain 
intact  and  unclouded,  they  nevertheless  seize  with 
the  utmost  eagerness  upon  any  newly  discovered 
fact,  either  of  ancient  history  or  of  modern  science, 
that  seems  to  confhct  with  any  of  the  statements  of 
the  sacred  record,  and  never  give  it  up,  so  long  as  it 
can  be  made  to  wear  an  infidel  aspect. 


bo  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

"There  is  no  faithfulness  in  their  mouth;  their 
inward  part  is  very  wickedness;  their  throat  is  an 
open  sepulchre;  they  flatter  with  their  tongue." 
How  dark  and  revolting  is  the  moral  character  here 
drawn  of  David's  enemies!  And  yet  it  is  the  moral 
character  of  every  one  of  us  as  we  are  by  nature. 
It  is  your  moral  character,  my  reader,  and  mine  too, 
if  our  hearts  have  not  been  changed  by  a  power 
from  on  high.  You  may  be  as  amiable  and  moral 
as  the  young  man  in  the  gospel,  who  fancied  that  he 
had  kept  all  the  commandments  from  his  youth  up; 
but  if  you  have  not  been  born  again,  you  possess,  in 
an  unregenerate  heart,  the  germs  of  every  sin  that 
can  be  named,  and  of  every  sin  too  in  its  darkest 
forms.  Hence  St.  Paul  quotes  this  very  verse, 
among  others,  to  prove  that  the  character  here  de- 
lineated is  not  the  moral  character  of  a  few  very  bad 
men,  but  of  all  men  by  nature.  In  reading,  then, 
the  darkest  delineations  of  human  character  given 
us  in  the  Bible,  let  even  the  purest  and  most  amiable 
of  us  see,  in  those  delineations,  only  what  we  our- 
selves are  capable  of  becoming,  and  liable  to  become, 
unless  a  Divine  power  change  or  restrain  us. 

Verse  10.  Destroy  thou  them,  0  God ;  let  them  ftill  by  their 
own  counsels :  cast  them  out  in  the  multitude  of  their  trans- 
gressions, for  they  have  rebelled  against  thee. 

This  is  the  first  of  those  psalms  wherein  David 
seems  to  pray  for  the  destruction  of  his  enemies, 
and  thus,  as  some  think,  to  manifest  a  spirit  of 
revenge.  To  this  objection — not  of  the  infidel  only, 
but  also  of  many  serious  Christians — two  answers 
can  be  given,  either  of  which  clears  David  of  the 
charge  of  viudictiveness. 


PSALM   V.  69 

The  first  answer  is,  that  the  verbs  here  translated 
in  the  imperative  mood,  and  in  the  form  of  a  prayer, 
may  be  translated  in  the  future  tense,  and  conse- 
quently in  the  form  of  a  prediction.  The  words, 
thus  translated,  would  not  be  a  prayer,  but  a  pro- 
phecy; not  a  vindictive  imprecation,  but  an  inspired 
prophecy,  and  would  read — Thou  wilt  destroy  them, 
O  God;  they  shall  perish  by  their  own  counsels; 
thou  wilt  cast  them  out  in  the  multitude  of  their 
transgressions,  for  they  have  rebelled  against  thee. 

Supposing  David's  Avords,  however,  really  to  con- 
tain— what  many  eminent  critics  believe  them  to 
contain — an  imprecation  upon  his  enemies,  we  can 
still  justify  them  upon  the  same  grounds  on  which 
we  justify  prayer  for  the  destruction  of  enemies  with 
whom  we  are  at  war.  And  what  patriot  was  ever 
yet  blamed  for  praying  God  to  destroy  the  enemies 
of  his  country'?  It  was  not  for  the  destruction  of  his 
own  perso7ial  enemies  that  David  here  prays — no  man 
ever  lived  who  was  more  forgiving  of  such — but  for 
the  destruction  of  the  enemies  of  his  country  and  of 
his  God,  the  enemies  of  the  goverament  that  God 
himself  had  instituted,  and  placed  him  at  its  head. 
Hence  the  reason  David  assigns  why  God  should 
destroy  his  enemies,  "For  they  have  rebelled  against 
theer  It  was  not  as  rebels  against  him  as  an  indi- 
vidual, but  as  rebels  against  him  as  the  head  of  a 
divinely  established  government,  that  David  prays 
God  to  destroy  his  enemies.  And  what  else  is  the 
voice  of  imiversal  history  than  this  very  thing,  that 
God  does,  sooner  or  later,  destroy  all  those  who 
oppose  his  kingdom,  his  Church  on  earth,  with  its 
divine  laws,  divine  institutions,  divine  influences,  and 


70  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

divine  Head — that  he  destroys  them,  sometimes  by 
leaving  them  to  their  own  infatuated  counsels,  and 
the  natural  operations  of  multiplied  transgressions ; 
and  again,  by  the  unmistakable  orderings  of  his  pro- 
vidence'? Regard  David's  words,  then,  either  as  an 
imprecation,  or  as  a  prediction,  they  by  no  means 
convict  him  of  a  spirit  of  revenge.  Here,  however, 
we  come  to  the  great  contrast  between  God's  deal- 


ings 


with  the  riffhteous  and  the  wicked : 


Verse  11.  But  let  all  those  that  put  their  trust  in  thee  rejoice: 
let  them  ever  shout  for  joy,  because  thou  defendest  them: 
let  them  also  that  love  thy  name  be  joyful  in  thee. 

To  put  one's  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  to  love  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  are  words  of  the  same  import,  and 
indicate  the  same  temper  and  bearing  of  the  soul 
towards  its  Maker.  They  indicate  the  complete 
affiance  of  the  soul  to  God,  and  of  God  to  the  soul; 
their  mutual  rejoicing  in  each  other,  the  soul  in  God, 
and  God  in  the  soul.  Henceforth  the  Lord  will 
suffer  no  fatal  evil  to  befall  the  believer — only  with 
his  eyes  shall  he  behold  and  see  the  reward  of  the 
ungodly.  His  defence  can  never  fail  him.  His  trust 
in  the  Lord,  too,  shall  be  within  him  a  well-spring 
of  joy  and  peace.  He  knows  whom  he  has  trusted, 
and  is  persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which 
he  has  committed  unto  him  against  that  day.  The 
past  has  been  forgiven  him;  the  present  is  in  conse- 
quence joyful,  and  the  future  radiant  with  glory, 
honour,  and  immortality.  Such  present  happiness 
and  future  hope  have  all  they  that  trust  in  the  Lord, 
and  love  his  name . 


PSALM  V.  71 

Versf,  12.     For  thou,  Lord,  wilt  bless  the  righteous;  with  flxvour 
shalt  thou  compass  him  as  with  a  shield. 

God's  blessing  not  only  makes  us  happy,  but  ren- 
ders us  secure,  and  is  as  a  shield  to  us  on  every  side. 
The  shield  here  intended,  was  not  armour  of  defence 
only,  but  also  of  repulsion.  Its  bulging  centre  was 
thick  set  with  sharpened  spikes  and  pointed  spears, 
so  that  the  enemy  against  whom  it  was  thrust,  or 
who  threw  himself  against  it,  was  not  repelled  merely, 
but  repelled,  pierced  through  and  through.  Such  a 
shield  is  the  favour  of  the  Lord  to  the  righteous.  It 
not  only  so  protects  the  righteous  behind  its  ample 
circuit,  that  no  weapon  of  his  enemies  can  reach  him 
to  do  him  harm,  but  it  repels  them,  pierced,  bleed- 
ing, and  dying.  It  so  repelled  man's  last  great 
enemy,  death,  enabling  him  to  exclaim,  as  he  looked 
down  upon  his  fallen  and  expiring  foe,  "O  death, 
where  is  thy  sting'?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory "? 
Thanks  be  to  God  which  giveth  us  the  victory, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ!"  Such  is  the  God 
with  whom  we  have  to  do.  He  so  hates  sin  that  he 
cannot  but  render  us  every  assistance  in  his  power, 
to  rid  our  hearts  and  lives  of  every  vestige  of  it. 
He  so  loves  holiness  that  he  beholds  the  feeblest 
beginnings  of  it  in  the  soul  with  infinite  delight — 
beginnings  as  feeble  as  the  bruised  reed,  and  as 
easily  extinguished  as  the  last  remaining  spark  of 
an  expiring  wick.  Let  none  of  us,  then,  despair  of 
escaping  from  the  power  and  pollution  of  our  sins, 
and  perfecting  our  souls  in  the  holy  affections  that 
qualify  for  heaven.  And  let  us,  to  this  end,  having 
closed  each  previous  day  with  a  prayer  equally  fer- 
vent and   full  of  faith,  begin  each  succeeding  day 


72  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

of  our  lives  with  the  petition  and  promise,  "Give 
ear  to  my  words,  O  Lord;  consider  my  meditation. 
Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my  cry,  my  King  and  my 
God :  for  unto  thee  will  I  pray.  My  voice  shalt  thou 
hear  in  the  morning,  O  Lord;  in  the  morning  will  I 
direct  my  prayer  unto  thee,  and  will  look  up,"  until 
thou,  for  Christ's  sake,  pardon  my  sins,  and  surround 
me  with  the  shield  of  thine  everlasting  love. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  VL 

It  has  been  objected  to  some  of  the  Psalms  of  David, 
and  especially  to  the  sixth,  that  they  discover  a 
spirit  of  complaint  unbecoming  true  manliness  of 
character;  that  sighs,  moans,  tears,  impassioned  cries, 
are  ill  suited  to  such  a  man  as  David  is  claimed  to 
have  been.  They  who  make  this  objection,  mistake 
the  cause  of  David's  lamentations.  That  cause  was 
not  so  much  his  sufferings  in  themselves,  as  the  sins 
that  had  made  them  necessary.  It  was  not  the  lace- 
rating rod,  but  the  consciousness  that  he  needed 
such  a  rod  to  bring  him  to  repentance  and  a  better 
mind.  This  weeping  from  a  sense  of  sin,  is  by  no 
means  inconsistent  with  even  heroic  fortitude.  It 
is  what  the  martyr  has  done,  standing  by  his  stake, 
and  refusing  to  be  bound  to  it,  while  its  flames  were 
flashing  their  fiercest  heat  around  him.  It  was  what 
Cranmer  did,  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears  from  a 
sense  of  his  sins,  while  at  the  same  time  he  thrust 
his  guilty,  recanting  right  hand,  into  the  flames  of 


PSALM   VI.  73 

his  stake,  and  held  it  there,  without  shrinking,  till 
it  was  burned  to  ashes.  It  is  not  for  want  of  endur- 
ing firmness  under  affliction  that  the  believer  so 
often  weeps,  but  from  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  sins 
that  have  rendered  affliction  necessary  to  reclaim 
him.  It  is  under  altogether  another  aspect  that 
affliction  presents  itself  to  the  man  who  regards  all 
suffering  as  the  result  of  accident,  or  as  a  link  in  an 
adamantine  chain  of  fate.  There  being,  to  his  mind, 
no  wise  reclaiming  love,  no  God,  in  such  a  dispen- 
sation, he  has  to  meet  it  only  with  stoical  indiffer- 
ence. If  his  own  strength  suffice  to  sustain  him, 
well — if  not,  he  is  miserable  indeed;  for  he  acknow- 
ledges no  other  and  higher  power  of  support  and 
resistance  than  that  to  be  found  within  the  soul 
itself  It  is  otherwise  with  the  believer.  Let  the 
rod  of  God  touch  him^  and  his  heart  melts,  his  eyes 
run  down  with  tears,  and  there  ascends  the  impas- 
sioned cry  for  the  pardon  of  that  which  has  brought 
the  rod  upon  him — his  sins.  It  was  evidently  under 
feelings  and  convictions  of  this  sort,  that  David  con- 
ceived and  penned  the  sixth  psalm.  It  accordingly 
opens  with  the  cry, 

Verse  1.     0  Lord,  rebuke  me  not  in  thine  anger,  neither  chasten 
me  in  thy  hot  displeasure. 

On  what  occasion  the  Psalmist  was  brought  so  to 
realize  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin,  we  do  not 
know.  He  had,  however,  evidently  been  made  to 
feel  that  sin  is  such,  in  its  nature,  as  to  demand 
the  vengeance  of  God  upon  the  sinner  for  it.  This 
feeling  is  sometimes  wrought  in  the  soul  by  a 
divine  providence ;  sometimes  by  an  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit;  and  sometimes  by  both  combined.  But 
7 


74  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

in  whatever  way  David's  vivid  sense  of  his  ill-desert, 
because  of  sin,  was  roused,  it  thrilled  through  his 
soul  a  moral  electricity,  quickening  his  every  thought 
and  feeling  into  intense  activity.  He  saw  how 
odious  sin  must  be  in  the  sight  of  the  infinite 
purity  of  God,  and  how  certainly  he  must  punish 
for  it.  And  yet  he  also  saw  that,  if  God  did  punish 
for  it,  he  must  utterly  perish.  Hence  his  cry  of  dis- 
tress and  deprecation,  "O  Lord,  rebuke  me  not  in 
thine  anger,  neither  chasten  me  in  thy  hot  displea- 
sure !" — I  deserve  thy  wrath,  but  spare,  O  spare  me ! 
He  saw  God  standing  before  him  with,  as  it  were, 
a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  ready  to  destroy  him; 
and  yet,  notwithstanding  the  fearful  sight,  he  flees 
directly  to  him.  The  thought  of  his  heart  was, 
"though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him;  I  will 
never  leave  him  nor  forsake  him.  If  he  wounds,  he 
can  heal;  if  he  bruises,  he  can  bind  up.  He  alone 
has  the  words  of  eternal  life,  and  to  him  will  I 
cleave."  The  worldly  man's  convictions  of  sin  drive 
him  away  from  God,  to  seek  relief  in  something  that 
will  lead  to  self-oblivion.  His  only  refuge  is,  not  to 
think  of  the  God  who  has  made  him  feel  that  he  is  a 
sinner.  It  is  otherwise  with  the  believer.  If  God 
afflicts  him,  he  receives  it  as  a  call  to  a  closer  walk 
with  him,  and  a  holier  life.  If  he  convicts  him  of 
his  sins,  and  ill-desert  because  of  them,  he  receives 
it  as  an  invitation  to  seek  the  pardon  of  his  sins 
with  renewed  and  augmented  earnestness.  How- 
ever much  the  believer  may  be  troubled  or  distressed 
in  mind,  body,  or  estate,  he  never  for  a  moment 
thinks  of  turning  away  from  his  God,  but  only  the 
more  earnestly  deprecates  his  wrath,  and  implores 


PSALM   VI.  75 

his  mercy.     He  knows  that  there  is  help  for  him 

nowhere   else,  and   he  seeks  it   nowhere  else.     So 

David  thought  and  did,  and  adds: 

Verse  2.    Have  mercy  upon  me,  0  Lord,  for  I  am  weak :  0  Lord, 
heal  me,  for  my  bones  are  vexed. 

David  had  done  and  suffered  as  much  for  his  God 
as  any  other  man  that  had  ever  lived;  and  yet 
mercy,  unmerited  favour,  is  his  only  plea  here.  He 
has  no  merit  nor  goodness  of  his  own,  to  offer  as  a 
reason  why  the  Lord  should  not  rebuke  him  in  his 
wrath,  and  chasten  him  in  his  hot  displeasure. 
"Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord,  for  I  am  weak: 
O  Lord,  heal  me,  for  my  bones  are  vexed."  The 
physical  effects  of  God's  chastening  hand  upon  David 
for  his  sins  are  here  graphically  described.  He  is 
weak,  and  his  bones  are  vexed.  Joy  infuses  life, 
strength,  and  activity;  soitow  takes  them  away. 
Such  was  the  effect  of  David's  religious  sorrow  upon 
him.  It  had  induced  faintness  in  his  heart,  and  a 
tremor  in  his  limbs.  He  was  like  Belshazzar  when 
he  beheld  the  fingers  of  a  viewless  hand  writing 
upon  the  plaster  of  his  wall.  The  sight,  filling  his 
soul  with  a  sense  of  guilt,  changed  his  countenance, 
troubled  his  thoughts,  and  smote  his  knees  one 
against  another.  It  was  a  sense  of  guilt,  too — of  the 
world's  guilt  laid  upon  him — that  prostrated  the 
Saviour  upon  the  ground,  and  made  him  sweat  big 
drops  of  blood.  It  is  not  unusual  for  intense  con- 
viction of  sin  to  exert  a  depressing  effect  upon  the 
physical  energies;  so  depressing  as  sometimes  to 
produce  sickness.  We  see  it  especially  in  the  case 
of  the  religious  hypochondriac — his  melancholy  pro- 
ducing   sickness,   and  his   sickness    deepening    his 


76  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

melancholy,  and  each  mutually  aggravating  the  viru- 
lence of  the  other,  till  it  is  hard  to  tell  to  which  the 
means  of  cure  should  be  first  applied — whether  to 
the  mind's  or  to  the  body's  disease.  Sometimes  the 
patient  is  in  need  of  one  treatment,  and  sometimes 
of  the  other,  and  sometimes  of  both,  the  physical 
and  spiritual,  combined,  to  eifect  a  cure.  Often, 
however,  a  distressed  and  doubting  believer  needs  a 
physician  more  than  he  needs  his  pastor.  Yet  in  all 
ordinary  cases  of  physical  prostration  from  intense 
conviction  of  sin,  David  indicates  the  only  adequate 
means  of  recovery  when  he  cries  to  the  Lord  to  heal 
him.  When  the  hiding  of  God's  face  has  depressed 
us,  nothing  but  the  light  of  it  lifted  upon  us  again, 
can  elevate  us.  Therefore  whenever,  in  view  of 
merited  punishment,  your  heart  faints  within  you, 
and  your  knees  tremble  under  you,  let  your  cry  be, 
"O  Lord,  heal  me:  O  Lord,  lift  thou  up  the  light 
of  thy  countenance  upon  me."  The  joy  poured  into 
your  heart  by  that  light  shining  on  you,  will  give 
new  colour  to  the  cheek,  animation  to  the  eye,  elas- 
ticity to  every  movement,  and  vigour  to  every  limb. 
So  have  I  seen  the  critically  balanced  scales  of  death 
begin  to  turn  lifeward,  from  the  moment  the  mind 
of  the  patient  took  hold  of  Christ,  by  faith,  as  the 
Saviour  of  the  soul.  Physicians  themselves  have 
acknowledged  that  the  turning  point  was  then. 

Verse  3.     My  soul  is  also  sore  vexed :  but  thou,  0  Lord,  how 
long? 

Here  was  the  climax  of  David's  suffering.     His 

soul  also  was  sore  vexed:  and  a  wounded  spirit  who 

can  bear"?     Physical  sufferings  are  as  nothing  when 

compared  with  the  kindlings  of  Divine  wrath  in  the 


PSALM   VI.  77 

conscience.  When  conscience  is  touched  by  the 
hand  of  God,  and  gives  way,  man  is  helpless 
indeed!  This  was  David's  case.  An  awakened  and 
accusing  conscience  was  exciting  in  him  a  certain 
fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation. 
Little  does  man  know  of  suffering,  till  he  has  been 
made  to  feel  in  his  soul  the  unmitigated  evil  of  sin. 
There  is  no  other  torment  equal  to  the  torment  of 
an  awakened  and  exasperated  conscience.  It  makes 
the  soul  feel  the  evil  and  bitterness  of  sin  indeed. 
You  recollect  how  the  Saviour  felt  this  in  his  hour  of 
darkness  in  the  garden,  from  the  mere  pressure  of 
the  sins  of  others.  "My  soul,"  said  he,  "is  exceeding 
sorrowful,  even  unto  death:"  and  his  sweat  was  as  it 
were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the  ground. 
Behold  also  in  the  events  of  his  crucifixion  how 
much  harder  mental  than  bodily  sufferings  are  to 
bear.  He  had  been  smitten,  buffeted,  scourged, 
had  his  brows  compressed  with  puncturing  thorns, 
and  been  nailed  also  to  the  cross,  and  yet,  under  all 
this  physical  suffering,  he  opened  not  his  mouth :  not 
even  a  sigh  is  recorded  to  have  escaped  his  lips. 
What  then  means  that  agonized  cry,  "My  God,  my 
God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me"?"  Ah!  the  frown 
of  God,  for  our  sins,  has  fallen  upon  his  soul !  That 
was  "the  sharpness  of  death;"  and  not  his  physical 
sufferings.  He  bore  all  in  silence  till  his  "  soul  also 
was  sore  vexed:"  and  then,  what  a  cry!  what  a  rend- 
ing shriek!  what  consternation  of  spirit!  And  this 
consternation  of  spirit  in  view  of  the  ill-desert  of  sin 
was  also  upon  David's  soul,  and  under  its  over- 
whelming pressure,  his  only  cry  is,  "But  thou,  O 
Lord,   how  longi"     Hope  deferred   has   made  his 


78  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

heart   sick,  and  allows  him   to  think  only  of  the 

delayed  relief,  and  to  ask  again  and  again  when  it 

will  come.     AVhen  some  great  sorrow  oppresses  the 

heart  and  fills  it  with  anxieties  to  the  utmost  bounds 

of  endurance,  how  expressive,  and  how  natural,  too, 

are  these  words  of  David,  "How  long,  O  Lord,  how 

longl" 

Verse  4.     Return,  0  Lord,  deliver  my  soul:  0  save  me  for  thy 
mercies'  sake ! 

However  heavily  David's  sins  pressed  upon  his 
soul,  he  certainly  takes  himself  to  the  right  source 
for  help.  The  Lord  has  made  him  feel  his  sins,  and 
to  the  Lord  he  flies  for  salvation.  He  asks  deliver- 
ance, however,  not  as  a  thing  of  debt,  or  of  right,  but 
altogether  of  grace.  "O  save  me  for  thy  mercies' 
sake!"  His  sins  were  great:  yet  there  was  one  other 
thing  still  greater — the  mercy  of  his  God.  David, 
therefore,  pleads  it:  and  pleads  it,  too,  as  redounding 
more  to  the  glory  of  his  God  to  show  mercy,  than  to 
execute  justice.  And  that  is  what  the  guiltiest  of  us 
may  plead:  for  our  God  delighteth  in  mercy,  and 
never  feels  himself  so  much  honoured  as  he  does 
when  his  needy  creatures  hope  in  his  mercy,  and 
make  it  the  ground  of  confidence  in  their  prayers. 
Hence  David's  prayer,  "  O  save  me  for  thy  mercies' 
sake!" 

Verse  5.     For  in  death  there  is  no  remembrance  of  thee :  in  the 
grave  who  shall  give  thee  thanks? 

There  is  some  obscurity  in  these  words  literally 
understood.  They  at  least  seem  to  teach  that  all 
thought  and  consciousness  ceased  with  man  at  his 
death.  If  that  be  their  meaning,  they  certainly  show 
that  David's  views  of  a  future  life  were  quite  defec- 


PSALM   VI.  79 

tive.  If  that  be  their  meaning,  we  may  well  say,  he 
that  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than 
he — that  the  very  child,  with  the  New  Testament  in 
his  hands,  has  clearer  views  of  immortality  than 
David  had.  We  can  hardly  believe,  however,  that 
David  meant  to  teach  that  thought  and  consciousness 
ceased  with  man  at  death.  The  death  here  intended 
is  probably  the  second  death,  and  the  grave  intended, 
the  prison  of  the  lost:  that  is  the  death,  and  that  the 
grave,  from  which  David  prays  to  be  saved — the 
death  and  grave  of  "both  soul  and  body  in  hell." 
And  surely,  there  is  no  grateful  remembrance  of,  and 
giving  thanks  to  God,  there.  On  the  contrary,  all 
who  have  experienced  that  death,  and  descended  into 
that  grave,  gnaw  their  tongues  for  pain,  and  blas- 
pheme the  God  of  heaven.  In  view  of  such  an  issue, 
well  might  David  pray,  "Return,  O  Lord,  deliver 
my  soul:  O  save  me  for  thy  mercies'  sake  I"  For 
surely,  a  more  terrific  thought  cannot  be  presented 
to  the  human  soul,  than  the  thought  that  it  must 
remain  a  sinning  and  suffering  creature  for  ever,  a 
moral  blot  in  every  part  of  the  universe  to  which  it 
may  flee:  hateful  in  its  own  eyes,  and  hateful  in  the 
eyes  of  God. 

Verses  6,  7.  I  am  weary  with  my  groaning;  all  tlie  night  make 
I  my  bed  to  swim:  1  water  my  couch  with  my  tears.  Mine 
eye  is  consumed  because  of  grief;  it  waxeth  old  because  of 
all  mine  enemies. 

David  still  continues  to  describe,  by  its  physical 
effects,  his  conflict  with  the  fear  of  eternal  death.  It 
has  excited  his  groans,  till  he  is  wearied  with  them ; 
his  tears,  till  his  bed  is  wet  with  them ;  and  extin- 
guished the  sight  of  his  eyes,  as  if  premature  old  age 


80  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

had  come  upon  him.  It  may  be  thought  by  some 
a  weakness,  so  to  grieve  over  one's  sins.  Those  who 
think  so,  httle  understand  what  sin  is — what  ravages 
it  commits  in  the  soul,  what  it  robs  us  of  here  and 
hereafter,  and  what  it  at  last  consigns  us  to.  He  is 
not  the  weak  man  who  weeps  over  sin,  but  he  who 
makes  light  of  it.  It  is  the  only  thing  we  should 
fear.  He  who  fears  it  not  is  mad.  He  fears  not  the 
infinite  God  who  has  forbidden  it,  and  will  punish 
for  it.  He  fears  not  his  own  conscience,  which, 
awakened  at  last,  will  fasten  upon  his  soul  with  a 
vulture's  clutch,  for  ever.  He  fears  not  the  worm 
that  ever  gnaws,  and  never  dies;  the  fire  that  ever 
burns,  and  is  never  quenched!  Brave,  indeed!  but 
it  is  the  bravery  of  the  moral  maniac.  No,  no! 
instead  of  such  bravery,  give  me  the  heart  that 
melts,  and  eyes  that  weep,  at  the  recollection  of  sins. 
Sooner  than  make  light  of  sin,  I  would  say,  with  the 
prophet,  "O  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine 
eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and 
night."  AVho  the  enemies  were  that  had  caused 
David  so  much  grief,  whether  visible  or  invisible, 
tangible  or  intangible,  internal  or  external,  we  have 
no  means  of  ascertaining.  One  thing,  however,  we 
do  know  with  certainty,  that  he  triumphed  over 
them.     Hence  the  words: 

Verses  8, 0.  Depart  from  me,  all  ye  workers  of  iniquity;  for  the 
Lord  hath  heard  the  voice  of  my  weeping.  The  Lord  hath 
heard  my  supplication;  the  Lord  will  receive  my  prayer. 

Here  is  a  change  indeed!  Joy  and  gladness, 
thanksgiving,  and  the  voice  of  melody !  Sighs  have 
given  place  to  smiles,  tears  to  laughter,  groans  to 
songs,  and  cries  of  despair  to  shouts  of  triumph !    He 


PSALM   VI.  Brt 

defies  his  enemies,  whoever  and  whatever  they  may- 
be, and  bids  them  leave  him.  Once  more  the  Lord 
is  on  his  side,  and  he  will  not  fear  what  man,  or 
fiend,  can  do  unto  him.  The  Lord  hath  heard  the 
voice  of  his  weeping,  his  supplication,  and  will 
receive  his  prayer.  It  is  strange  how  quickly  God 
can  send  light  into  the  darkest  mind,  and  peace  to 
the  most  agitated  breast.  He  speaks,  and  it  is  done ; 
he  commands,  and  it  stands  fast.  It  is  hard  to  realize 
that  the  David  of  the  two  verses  now  before  us,  is  the 
same  person  to  whose  plaintive  voice  we  have  been 
listening  through  the  whole  of  the  previous  part  of 
the  psalm.  And  how  completely  is  David's  expe- 
rience herein  the  experience  of  many  a  believer — 
many  to  whom  the  brightest  light  has  succeeded  the 
greatest  darkness !  They  battled  long  with  the 
powers  of  darkness  and  their  own  hearts,  but  victory 
came  at  last ;  and  such  a  victory !  They  then  learned 
that  not  a  sigh  had  been  heaved,  nor  a  tear  shed,  nor 
a  groan  given,  nor  a  prayer  off'ered,  in  vain;  but  that 
all  had  been  answered,  and  returned  in  blessings  on 
their  heads;  and  that  their  dross  had  been  consumed, 
and  their  gold  refined.  The  enemy  had  gained 
nothing  by  the  sore  trials  to  which  he  had  subjected 
them;  but  they  came  out  of  the  conflict  better  quali- 
fied than  they  had  ever  been  before,  to  fight  the  good 
fight  with  augmented  vigour  and  success.  This  also 
was  David's  experience,  and  he  accordingly  closes 
with  the  words: 

Verse  10.     Let  all  mine  enemies  be  ashamed  and  sore  vexed: 
let  them  return  and  be  ashamed  suddenly. 

The  struggle  referred  to  in  this  psalm  has  been 
left  on  record  for  our  instruction  and  guidance.     It 


82  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

teaches  us  that  whatever  calamity  may  befall  us, 
whether  in  mind,  body,  or  estate,  we  are  to  receive 
it  as  the  chastening  of  a  loving  Father,  striving 
thereby  to  bring  us  to  repentance,  and  to  a  closer 
walk  with  him.  It  also  teaches  us  that  it  is  by  no 
means  an  evidence  of  Divine  desertion,  for  God  to 
excite  within  us  a  conviction  of  sin,  and  apprehen- 
sion of  evil  in  the  world  to  come,  so  intense  as  to 
make  our  knees  to  tremble  under  us,  and  our  hearts 
die  within  us.  "Whom  the  Lord  loveth,  he  chasten- 
eth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he  receiveth." 
Then  let  every  one,  so  chastened  and  scourged,  say 
continually,  "  O  Lord,  rebuke  me  not  in  thine  anger, 
neither  chasten  me  in  thy  hot  displeasure,"  but 
"save  me  for  thy  mercies'  sake,"  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Then,  in  due  time,  God  will  turn  your  darkness  to 
light,  and  your  sorrow  into  joy. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  VII. 

To  a  mind  conscious  to  itself  of  rectitude,  there  is 
no  accusation  so  hard  to  be  borne  as  that  of  having 
the  heart  set  upon  evil.  That  is  the  painful  posi- 
tion of  David  in  the  psalm  now  before  us.  He  has 
evidently  been  charged  with  plotting  against  the  life 
and  throne  of  Saul.  It  is  indeed  true  that  he  him- 
self had  been  consecrated  to  the  throne  of  Israel, 
(1  Sam.  xvi.  13,)  but  not  under  circumstances  that 
would  justify  him  in  violently  removing  its  present 
incumbent.  Nor  had  David  done  anything  to  in- 
duce in  any  fair  mind  the  belief  that  he  was  aiming 


PSALM   VII.  83 

to  do  so.  On  the  contrary,  he  had  time  and  again 
fought  the  battles  of  Saul,  won  his  victories,  and 
spared  him  when  he  had  him  in  his  power.  Yet 
Saul  seems  to  have  been  embittered  against  him  by 
"the  words  of  Cush,  the  Benjamite."  The  word 
cush,  means  hlach^  and  is  thought  by  some  to  have 
been  chosen  by  David  to  indicate  the  malevolent 
character  and  designs  of  some  accuser  of  him  to 
Saul.  Others  think,  as  Saul  was  a  Benjamite,  and  a 
man  of  dark  purposes,  that  the  name  was  chosen  to 
designate  Saul  himself.  But  in  whatever  way  Saul's 
mind  was  exasperated  against  him,  whether  by  the 
jealous  thoughts  of  his  own  heart,  or  by  the  calum- 
nies of  others,  David  could  not  but  keenly  feel  the 
injustice  done  him.  He  had  been  outlawed,  and  a 
price  put  upon  his  life.  No  man  dared  to  own  him 
as  a  friend.  Hunted  down  in  all  the  ways,  and  by 
all  the  means  that  a  king  could  command,  sustained 
only  by  the  consciousness  of  his  innocence,  and 
despairing  of  human  relief,  David  therefore  sends  up 
the  cry. 

Verses  1,  2.  0  Lord  my  God,  in  thee  do  I  put  my  trust:  save 
me  from  all  tliem  that  persecute  me,  arid  deliver  me:  lest 
he  tear  my  soul  like  a  lion,  rending  it  in  pieces,  while  there 
is  none  to  deliver. 

Though  it  was  nowhere  to  be  found  on  earth,  yet 
David  knew  there  was  help  for  him  in  heaven;  that 
there  was  One  reigning  there  whose  very  nature 
moved  him  to  vindicate  suffering  innocence,  even  the 
Lord  his  God,  Jehovah-Elohim;  the  God  in  whom  all 
the  eternal  perfections  of  absolute  Godhead  infi- 
nitely reside.  In  him  he  trusts ;  to  him  he  appeals 
to  save.     His  persecutors  were   many  indeed,  and 


84  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

mighty.  But  his  defence  against  them  all  is,  faith 
in  God;  he  seeks  no  other,  he  desires  no  other. 
Nor  is  the  God  in  whom  he  trusts  a  strange  God, 
but  his  own  God.  Hence  his  words,  "O  Lord  my 
God."  Such  is  the  power  and  privilege  of  faith. 
It  makes  God  the  soul's  own.  It  appropriates  his 
infinite  power  to  protect  it;  his  infinite  wisdom  to 
guide  it;  and  his  infinite  goodness  to  satisfy  its 
every  want.  David  has  indeed  but  One  ally,  but 
that  ally  is  God — the  Lord  his  God.  He  knows  in 
whom  he  has  believed,  and  is  persuaded  that  he  is 
as  willing  as  he  is  able  to  fulfil  the  desires  of  his 
heart.  He  first  desires  to  be  delivered  from  all  his 
persecutors,  and  then  singles  out  one  from  whom  he 
especially  desires  to  be  delivered,  lest  he  tear  his 
soul  like  a  lion,  rending  it  in  pieces,  while  there  is 
none  to  deliver.  This  specially  deprecated  enemy  is 
believed  to  have  been  the  infuriated  Saul.  He  was 
a  king — one  whose  mandate  every  one  was  bound 
to  obey;  and  if  he  came  upon  him,  how  certainly 
would  resistance  be  vain,  and  destruction  seem  inevi- 
table! He  would  be  as  helpless  in  Saul's  hands  as 
the  feeble  fawn  in  the  fangs  of  the  enraged  king  of 
the  forest.  And  yet,  this  lion  in  human  form  was 
upon  his  trail,  and  would  be  satisfied  with  nothing 
less  than  David's  blood ;  and  from  his  rending  clutch 
and  devouring  jaws,  God  alone  could  save  him.  This 
prayer  is  full  of  instruction.  Every  one  of  us  may 
have  some  powerful  enemy  that  may  tear  the  soul 
like  a  lion,  rending  it  in  pieces,  while  there  is  none 
to  deliver.  This  enemy  may  be  Satan,  the  prince  of 
devils,  assaulting  the  soul  with  some  horrible  tempta- 
tion; or  it  may  be  some  easily  besetting  sin,  as  pride, 


PSALM   VIT.  85 

avarice,  love  of  pleasure,  impetuosity,  vindictiveness, 
the  lust  of  the  debauchee,  or  some  giant  appetite — 
like  that  for  intoxicating  drinks — an  appetite  that 
binds  the  strongest  in  chains,  and  precipitates  them 
headlong  into  hopeless  and  dishonoured  graves.  A 
lion  indeed! — frenzied,  infuriated,  and  ravening! 
AVhatever  the  specially  dangerous  enemy  our  souls 
have  cause  to  fear,  while  praying  for  deliverance 
from  all  spiritual  adversaries,  we  should,  as  David 
did,  single  out  that  one  for  special  prayer. 

Verses  3-5.  0  Lord  my  God,  if  I  have  done  this;  if  there  be 
iniquity  in  my  hands :  if  I  have  rewarded  evil  unto  him  that 
was  at  peace  with  me;  yea,  I  have  delivered  him  that  with- 
out cause  is  mine  enemy:  let  the  enemy  persecute  my  soul, 
and  take  it ;  yea,  let  him  tread  down  my  life  upon  the  earth, 
and  lay  mine  honour  in  the  dust.     Selali. 

What  David  claims  for  himself  here,  is  not  a  spot- 
less and  universal  righteousness,  but  only  that  he  is 
not  guilty  of  what  had  been  laid  to  his  charge — that 
is,  of  plotting  against  the  life  and  throne  of  Saul. 
If  he  had  done  that,  he  freely  consents  that  Saul 
may  persecute  him,  and  put  him  to  the  most  igno- 
minious death,  and  cover  his  memory  with  all 
manner  of  disgrace;  tread  down  his  life  upon  the 
earth,  and  lay  his  honour  in  the  dust.  But  he  denies 
that  he  has  requited  kindness  with  ingratitude,  con- 
fidence with  treachery,  or  good  with  evil.  On  the 
contrary,  he  declares,  "Yea,  I  have  delivered  him 
that  without  cause  is  mine  enemy."  He  probably 
refers  to  his  having  twice  spared  Saul  when  he  had 
him  in  his  power;  in  one  instance  cutting  off  the 
skirt  of  his  robe,  (1  Sam.  xxiv.  11,)  and  in  the  other, 
taking  away  his  spear  and  a  cruse  of  water  at  his 
head,  while  he  was  asleep,  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  12;)  in  both 
8 


86  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

instances  leaving  him  unharmed,  and  restraining  his 
men  also  from  slaying  him.  David's  whole  bearing 
towards  Saul  was  that  of  a  good  and  loyal  subject. 
He  could  safely  declare  that  he  was  innocent,  and  in- 
voke evil  upon  himself,  if  he  were  not  so.  And  his 
doing  it,  indicates  the  most  thorough  consciousness  of 
his  integrity,  and  persuasion  of  God's  purpose  to  defend 
the  right.  There  is  nothing  either  of  levity  or  of 
profanity  in  the  asseveration  and  invocation,  but  such 
as  a  God-fearing  and  innocent  man  may  blamelessly 
make  when  unjustly  accused.  Very  different,  how- 
ever, are  such  words  in  the  mouth  of  the  wicked. 
How  often  do  we  hear  them  asseverating  their  inno- 
cence, and  invoking  destruction  upon  themselves  if 
they  are  guilty,  when,  if  God  were  to  deal  with 
them  according  to  the  truth  in  the  matter,  they 
would  drop  down  dead  at  the  instant,  and  go  at 
once  to  their  own  place! 

Verses  6-9.  Arise,  0  Lord,  in  thine  anger;  lift  up  thyself, 
because  of  the  rage  of  mine  enemies;  and  awake  for  me  to 
the  judgment  that  thou  hast  commanded.  So  shall  the  con- 
gregation of  the  people  compass  thee  about:  for  their  sakes, 
therefore,  return  thou  on  high.  The  Lord  shall  judge  the 
people:  judge  me,  O  Lord,  according  to  my  righteousness, 
and  according  to  mine  integrity  that  is  in  me.  O  let  the 
wickedness  of  the  wicked  come  to  an  end;  but  establish  the 
just:  for  the  righteous  God  trieth  the  hearts  and  reins. 

Although  David  knew  that  Saul  had  been  rejected 
from  being  king  over  Israel,  and  that  he  himself 
had  been  divinely  designated  to  rule  in  his  stead,  he 
would  do  no  act  of  wrong  or  violence  to  accelerate 
his  own  accession  to  the  throne.  He  left  it  to  his 
God  to  pave  the  way  for  him  to  the  throne  in  his 
own  time  and  mode.  But  as  Saul's  overthrow  seemed 
the  only  cure  for  the  evils  that  his  misrule  had  pro- 


PSALM    VII.  87 

diiced,  he  prays  God  to  bring  it  about  in  such  a  way 
as  that  all  should  see  that  it  was  the  "Lord's  doiii"::" 
and  then  adds,  as  the  effect  of  its  being  seen  that  He 
had  done  it,  "  so  shall  the  congregation  of  the  people 
compass  thee  about;"  so  shall  there  be  a  returning 
from  their  backslidings,  and  a  revival  of  pure  and 
undefiled  religion;  "for  their  sakes,  therefore,  return 
thou  on  high ;"  let  it  appear  by  some  special  judicial 
interposition  of  thy  power,  whom  thou  hast  chosen 
to  lead  thy  people  in  the  ways  of  truth  and  peace, 
Saul,  or  me.  "Judge  me,  O  Lord,  according  to  my 
righteousness,  and  according  to  mine  integrity  that 
is  in  me."  As  was  before  said,  it  is  not  universal 
righteousness  that  David  here  challenges  for  himself, 
only  integrity  in  regard  to  Saul;  he  had  not  sinned 
against  him ;  on  the  contrary,  had  rendered  him  good, 
and  good  only,  and  often  good  for  evil.  And  this  is 
what  many  a  man  can  say  in  regard  to  his  fellow- 
man,  that,  in  regard  to  him,  he  is  righteous,  and  his 
integrity  intact;  and  that,  if  impeached  by  him,  he 
may  appeal  even  to  infinite  justice  for  an  acquittal 
with  commendation.  It  is  far  otherwise,  however, 
with  every  one  of  us,  when  we  speak  of  righteous- 
ness and  integrity  in  regard  to  God.  When  he  shall 
impeach  us,  and  bring  us  to  trial  for  our  treatment 
of  him,  we  shall  have  no  merit  of  our  own  to  plead 
in  bar  of  judgment.  The  only  righteousness  that 
will  avail  us  aught  in  that  day  will  be  the  righteous- 
ness of  Jesus  Christ,  made  ours  by  faith.  It  is  no 
human,  but  only  a  Divine  righteousness  that  will 
avail  us  then.  It  is  therefore  only  in  regard  to  Saul 
that  David  asks  God  to  judge  him  according  to  his 
righteousness,  and  according  to  his  integrity;  and 


88  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

then  adds,  "  O  let  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  come 
to  an  end;  but  establish  the  just;  for  the  righteous 
God  trieth  the  hearts  and  reins."  He  does  not  say 
here  who  is  wicked,  or  who  is  just,  himself  or  Saul; 
he  leaves  it  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts  to  decide  the 
question,  and,  deciding  it,  to  deal  with  each  accord- 
ing to  his  deserts.  Doubtless,  however,  David's  own 
heart  told  him  who  was  guilty,  and  who  innocent, 
and  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear;  hence  the  fervour 
of  his  appeal.  A  blessed  thing  it  is  for  the  heart  to 
speak  peace  to  the  soul  in  the  hour  of  trial;  for  if 
our  heart  condemn  us  not,  then  may  we  have  confi- 
dence towards  God.  It  was,  however,  not  his  blame- 
lessness  alone  that  inspired  David  with  such  confi- 
dence towards  God,  but  also  God's  own  love  of 
righteousness  and  hatred  of  sin  in  his  creature;  a 
love  and  hatred  that  David  now  proceeds  to  describe 
in  words  of  no  ordinary  strength  and  fulness  of 
meaning,  saying, 

Verses  10,  11.  My  defence  is  of  God,  which  saveth  the  upright 
in  heart.  God  judge th  the  righteous,  and  God  is  angry  with 
the  wicked  every  day. 

David's  faith  here  becomes  assurance:  his  defence 
is  of  God,  who  saveth  the  upright  in  heart.  His 
very  nature  moves  him  to  save  them:  he  must  cease 
to  be  God,  before  he  can  cease  to  be  their  helper. 
God  judges  the  righteous;  espouses  their  cause,  vin- 
dicates it,  recognizes  it  as  his  own,  and  can  never 
allow  it  finally  to  fail.  "And  God  is  angry  with 
the  wicked  every  day:"  disapproves  their  plans, 
abhors  their  spirit,  and  so  orders  all  things  in  nature 
and  in  providence  as  ultimately  to  overthrow  them. 
In  God's  very  nature,  therefore,  in  his  innate,  eter- 


PSALM   VII.  89 

nal,  and  ever-active  love  of  rectitude  and  hatred  of 
moral  evil,  David  is  assured,  doubly  assured,  that  he 
shall  stand  and  Saul  fall.  And  this  double  assurance 
of  finally  triumphing  over  the  evil  within  us  and 
around  us,  we  all  have,  who  have  put  our  trust  in 
the  Lord.  He  loves  the  righteousness  that  we  are 
seeking,  and  will  help  us  to  attain  it:  hates  the  evil 
with  which  we  are  contending,  and  will  help  us  to 
overcome  it.  It  is  otherwise  that  he  bears  himself 
towards  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner. 

Verses  12,  13.  If  he  turn  not,  he  will  whet  his  sword;  he  hath 
bent  his  bow,  and  made  it  ready.  He  hath  also  f)repared  for 
him  the  instruments  of  death;  he  ordaineth  his  ai-rows  against 
the  persecutors. 

The  Lord  here  stands  before  the  guilty  as  a 
mighty  warrior,  with  sword  and  bow  in  hand,  and 
the  arrow  in  place  upon  the  string:  and  as  the  sinner 
goes  on  in  his  trespasses,  the  sword  grows  sharper, 
and  the  arrow  is  drawing  nearer  to  its  head,  until 
the  Divine  forbearance  being  at  last  exhausted,  the 
sword  descends  and  the  arrow  speeds  to  the  heart. 
The  Lord's  hand  has  taken  hold  on  judgment,  and 
the  sinner  lies  prostrate  before  him.  It  is  well,  how- 
ever, to  consider  what  it  is  that  whets  God's  sword 
of  vengeance,  bends  his  bow,  draws  the  arrow  to  its 
head,  and  at  last  speeds  it  on  its  mission  of  death.  It 
is  the  sinner's  sins:  but  for  them,  his  glittering  sword 
would  remain  in  the  scabbard,  his  arrows  in  their 
quiver,  his  bow  unbent  and  unstrung.  It  is  only 
indirectly  that  it  can  be  said  of  the  Lord  in  his  deal- 
ings witli  the  sinner,  "He  hath  also  prepared  for 
him  the  instruments  of  death;  he  ordaineth  his 
arrows  against  the  persecutors.  He  has  ordained 
8* 


90  LECTURES    ON    THE    PSALMS. 

the  sudden  and  violent  death  of  the  opposers  of  his 
truth,  only  as  there  exists,  in  the  very  nature  of 
things,  an  immutable  and  eternal  connection  between 
a  career  of  violence  and  a  corresponding  termination 
of  it.  This  has  been  signally  verified  in  the  death  of 
the  persecutors  of  his  Church.  It  would  seem  as  if 
God  had  indeed  prepared  the  weapons  of  death  for 
them,  and  wielded  them  with  his  own  hand :  so  sud- 
denly and  miserably  have  most  of  them  perished! 
And  it  is  remarkable  that  Saul  himself  perished  by 
the  very  weapons  here  named:  first  pierced  with  an 
arrow,  and  then  falling  upon  his  own  sword.  1  Sam. 
xxxi.  3 ,  4.  The  sword  and  the  arrow,  however, 
were  no  otherwise  the  Lord's,  than  as  he  makes  use 
of  wicked  men  to  inflict  his  wrath  upon  each  other. 
Nor  are  wicked  men  destroyed  only  by  the  orderings 
of  Divine  Providence,  but  often  also  by  the  very 
means  employed  by  themselves  for  the  destruction  of 
others.     Hence  it  is  said  of  the  sinner, 

Verses  14-16.  Behold,  he  travaileth  with  iniquity,  and  hath 
conceived  mischief,  and  brought  forth  falsehood.  He  hath 
made  a  pit,  and  digged  it,  and  is  fallen  into  the  ditch 
which  he  made.  His  mischief  shall  return  upon  his  own 
head,  and  his  violent  dealing  shall  come  down  upon  his  own 
pate. 

The  man  that  travaileth  with  iniquity,  who  is  big 
with  thoughts  and  purposes  of  evil,  shall  experience, 
as  the  issue  of  his  birth-throes,  nothing  but  mischief 
and  falsehood,  misery  and  disappointment.  Sin  is  a 
thing  that  recoils  upon  its  perpetrator,  and  inflicts 
its  heaviest  blows  upon  the  soul  conceiving  it,  intend- 
ing it,  and  giving  it  life  and  form.  He  that  digs  a 
pit  for  another  shall  fall  into  it  himself  "  His  mis- 
chief will  return  upon  his  own  head,  and  his  violent 


PSALM    VII.  91 

dealing  come  down  upon  his  own  pate."  It  was  in 
accordance  with  this  self-avenging  power  of  sin,  that 
Saul  was  slain  by  the  Philistines,  (1  Sam.  xxxi.  2-4,) 
whom  he  had  designed  to  be  the  slayers  of  David, 
(1  Sam.  xviii.  21,  25;)  that  Haman  was  hanged 
upon  the  gallows  he  had  erected  for  another,  (Esther 
vii.  10;)  and  that  the  Jews  themselves  were  destroyed 
by  the  Romans,  whose  aid  they  had  invoked  and 
received  to  crucify  their  Messiah.  This  recoiUng, 
self-revenging  power  of  sin,  is  conclusive  proof  that 
a  holy,  just,  and  living  God  is  moving  everywhere  in 
nature,  and  in  the  affairs  of  men,  to  paralyse  the  arm 
of  the  evil-doer;  and  to  make  man  feel  in  every  blow 
that  he  inflicts  upon  truth  and  right,  upon  innocence 
and  virtue,  a  counter  blow  of  overwhelming  force. 
It  was  the  conviction  of  this  great  truth,  as  a  prin- 
ciple permeating  the  government  of  God,  that  makes 
David  speak  of  the  discomfiture  of  his  enemies  as  a 
thing  already  accomplished.  He  sees  every  blow 
aimed  at  him,  recoiling  upon  themselves;  every 
machination  concocted  for  his  overthrow,  rendering 
their  own  still  more  inevitable.  A  fearful  thought 
this,  to  the  wicked,  that  his  own  evil  shall  slay  him : 
and  yet,  to  others,  a  thought  full  of  hope,  that  God 
has  so  ordered  things  in  his  universe  that  evil  must 
destroy  itself.  Hence  it  is  that  David  closes  his 
psalm  with  the  words. 

Verse  17.    I  will  praise  the  Lord  according  to  his  righteousness: 
and  will  sing  praise  to  the  name  of  the  Lord  most  high. 

And  who  of  us  have  not  the  same  reasons  for 
praising  God  "according  to  his  righteousness,"  a 
righteousness  moving  him  always  and  everywhere  to 


92  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

succour  Tirtuc  and  abase  vice,  defend  innocence  and 
overwhelm  guilt.  Glorious  truths  are  these  two:  "God 
judgeth  the  righteous:  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked 
every  day."  It  was  his  conviction  of  these  truths 
that  stayed  David's  soul  in  the  hour  of  his  persecution 
for  righteousness'  sake.  And  upon  these  two  great 
truths  we,  too,  may  plant  our  feet,  as  upon  the  Hock 
of  Ages.  Our  God  must  cease  to  be  God,  before  he 
can  cease  to  make  these  truths  the  basis  principles 
of  his  government  of  the  world.  It  is  verily  true 
that  we  have  no  righteousness  of  our  own  to  recom- 
mend us  to  the  righteous  protection  of  our  God. 
There  is  a  righteousness,  however,  that  makes  us 
virtually  righteous  in  the  sight  of  even  Infinite 
Righteousness,  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ,  made 
ours  by  faith.  Clothed  in  that  righteousness,  we 
participate  at  once  in  all  the  protections,  privileges, 
and  blessings  promised  to  the  righteous  in  the  word 
of  God;  come  at  once  within  the  omnipotent  sweep 
of  that  righteousness  of  God  that  maketh  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  him.  Let 
us  all  then,  ceasing  to  do  evil,  and  learning  to  do 
well,  seek  to  be  clothed  in  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  for  he  is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness 
unto  every  one  that  believeth.  Rom.  x.  4.  He  tasted 
death  for  every  man,  and  his  blood  cleanseth  us  from 
all  sin — 

"  Is  of  sin  the  double  cure, 
Saves  from  wrath,  and  makes  us  pure." 


PSALM   VIII.  93 


LECTURE    ON   PSALM   VIIL 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  anything  more  eminently 
calculated  to  inspire  the  mind  with  awe  and  loving 
admiration,  than  the  contemplation  of  the  works  of 
God's  visible  creation;  the  alternations  of  night  and 
day,  the  regular  return  and  reproduction  of  the 
seasons,  and  the  undisturbed  position  of  the  stars  in 
their  places,  from  generation  to  generation.  It  is 
evidently  under  feelings  excited  by  the  contempla- 
tion of  these  things,  that  David  wrote  the  eighth 
psalm.     It  therefore  opens  with  the  words: 

Verse  1.     0  Lord  our  Lord,  how  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the 
earth!  who  hast  set  thy  glory  above  the  heavens. 

Everywhere  upon  the  earth  around  him,  David 
beheld  the  impress  of  God's  name — the  handwriting 
of  his  glorious  attributes  of  power,  wisdom,  and 
goodness.  It  is  not  improbable  that  he  had  in  mind 
the  whole  process  of  the  original  creation,  as  it  stands 
recorded  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis — the  heaven 
and  the  earth  called  into  being  out  of  nothing ;  the 
earth  being  without  form  and  void,  and  the  abode  of 
darkness,  until  at  last,  under  the  successive  touches 
of  the  hand  that  created  it,  it  abounded  in  every  form 
of  life  and  beauty,  mineral,  vegetable,  and  animal, 
rational  and  irrational;  and  man  was  placed  over  the 
whole  as  its  designated  lord  and  head.  He  saw 
everything  that  God  had  made,  and  that  it  was 
indeed  what  God  had  pronounced  it — very  good. 
He  did  not  wonder  that  "the  morning  stars  sang 
together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy," 
(Job  xxxviii.  7;)  when  the  earth  at  last  stood  forth 


94  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

complete  in  all  its  arrangements  for  the  abode  of 
man,  addressing  itself  in  its  minutest  creations  to  his 
understanding  and  his  heart.  He  discovered  wisdom 
everywhere,  love  everywhere,  perfection  everywhere. 
"  How  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth !"  There 
is  vegetable  and  animal  life  under  the  tropics ;  there 
is  vegetable  and  animal  life  in  the  regions  of  perpe- 
tual snow;  and  God  has  so  adapted  each  to  its  place, 
and  its  place  to  each,  that  each  finds  its  own  location 
a  home,  and  its  own  climate  the  element  of  a  joyous 
existence.  It  matters  not  how  far,  nor  in  what 
direction,  we  push  our  investigations  into  the  works 
of  terrestrial  nature ;  each  new  step  serves  to  reveal 
more  and  more  the  fashioning  hand  of  God  upon 
them.  "  Who  hast  set  thy  glory  above  the  heavens." 
Here  David's  eye  glances  from  the  contemplation  of 
the  terrestrial,  to  that  of  the  celestial  creation — the 
works  of  God  in  the  spacious  firmament  on  high : 

In  reason'r,  ear  they  all  rejoice, 
And  utter  forth  a  glorious  voice, 
For  ever  singing,  as  they  shine, 
"The  Hand  that  made  us  is  divine." 

Day,  with  its  illuminating  sun  and  revealing  light, 
had  its  lessons  for  David  in  the  things  immediately 
around  him;  and  yet  night,  with  its  darkness,  had 
its  lessons  of  sublimer  range  and  more  solemn  import. 
Then  it  was  that  the  heavens  appeared  with  their 
shining  hosts,  as  the  crown  of  God's  creative  glory — 
a  crown,  having  for  its  diamonds,  suns  and  stars, 
stretching  away  in  every  direction  into  depths  illimi- 
table. No  audible  voice  did  they  utter,  yet  to  David's 
ear  their  silent  majesty  spoke  more  potently  of  the 
power  of  God  than  anything  that  he  had  ever  heard 
upon  earth.    But  with  our  fuller  knowledge  in  respect 


PSALM  viir.  95 

to  them,  that  they  are  worlds,  and  systems  of  worlds, 
some  of  them  perhaps  millions  of  times  larger  than 
our  own,  and  that  the  name  of  God  is  excellent 
amidst  them  all ;  that  all  are  filled  with  the  riches  of 
his  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness,  O  what  a  voice 
issues  from  the  silent  depths  of  midnight  heavens,  to 
tell  us  of  the  greatness  of  the  Lord  our  God!  How 
it  steals  into  the  soul,  with  a  power  to  hush  its  every 
unhelieving  thought  to  silence!  God  speaking  in 
nature,  in  the  silent  teachings  of  the  heavens  above, 
and  of  the  earth  beneath,  finds  a  ready  and  willing 
listener  in  every  one  in  whose  heart  there  is  no 
guile.     Hence  David  adds: 

Verse  2.  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  hast  thou 
ordained  strength,  because  of  thine  enemies;  that  thou 
mightest  still  the  enemy  and  the  avenger. 

We  are  here  taught  that  the  loving  admiration 
with  which  a  child  beholds  the  glory  of  God  in  crea- 
tion, in  the  beauty  and  fragrance  of  the  flower,  and 
the  bright  shining  of  the  stars,  is  enough  to  rebuke 
those  denying  the  hand  of  God  in  them.  There  is 
something  extremely  beautiful  in  this  making  the 
child's  susceptibility  to  the  beautiful  in  nature,  an 
argument  to  silence  the  gainsayer.  Nor  is  it  alone 
in  their  quicker  perceptions  of  natural  beauties,  that 
children  often  discover  the  Divine  in  things  sooner 
than  others.  They  discover  moral  beauties  sooner — 
the  divine  in  character  and  conduct.  They  disco- 
vered the  Divine  in  the  Saviour's  character  and  works, 
crying,  "Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!"  while  others 
were  denouncing  him  as  an  impostor.  Indeed,  the 
Saviour  cites  these  very  words  against  those  who  de- 
sired him  to  silence  their  hosannahs,  saying,  "Have  ye 


96  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

never  read,  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings 
thou  hast  perfected  praise  1"  Matt.  xxi.  16.  Children 
urged  their  way  into  his  presence,  for  his  smile  and 
blessing,  while  the  Pharisees  viewed  him  askance, 
and  with  "jealous  leer  malign."  It  is  even  so,  and 
always  so.  The  pure  in  heart  see  God  in  every 
manifestation  of  himself.  The  Divine,  whether  utter- 
ing itself  in  nature,  or  in  revelation,  goes  direct  to 
the  heart  of  childhood,  and  to  the  hearts  of  those 
who,  in  temper  and  disposition,  are  as  little  children. 
It  is  out  of  the  mouths  of  such  that  God's  praise  has 
been  perfected  in  his  Church,  from  generation  to 
generation.  Their  simple-hearted,  unquestioning 
piety,  the  piety  of  admiring  love,  has  done  more  than 
the  mightiest  arguments  of  the  advocate  and  contro- 
versialist, to  silence  the  infidel,  disarm  the  prejudiced, 
win  over  the  hostile,  and  confirm  the  wavering.  The 
world  was  forced  to  believe  the  religion  Divine,  that 
found  its  readiest  and  most  congenial  home  in  the 
minds  of  the  guileless ;  that  such  comparatively  pure 
minds  were  the  soil  in  which  a  Divine  thing  would 
soonest  take  root,  and  bear  fruit.  And  to  this  temper 
of  mind  we  all  must  come,  before  we  can  meet  God 
in  peace:  "For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  be 
converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Matt,  xviii.  3. 
David,  however,  here  passes  to  another  aspect  of  his 
subject,  saying. 

Verses  3,  4.  When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy 
fingers;  the  moon,  and  the  stars,  which  thou  hast  ordained; 
what  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him?  and  the  son  of 
man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ? 

This  is  a  question  that  has  troubled  others  besides 
David — whether   a   Being   so   great   as   his  visible 


PSALM   VIII.  97 

creation  proclaims  the  Lord  our  God  to  be,  can  be 
mindful  of  man.  A  view  of  the  immensity  of  the 
Divine  rule  and  empire,  overwhelms  many  a  man 
with  a  sense  of  his  nothingness;  makes  him  feel 
that  he  is  a  mote,  an  atom,  a  molecule,  floating  in 
the  bosom  of  illimitable  space — true,  indeed,  a  think- 
ing mote,  a  thinking  atom,  yet  all  the  more  wretched 
for  being  so,  since  thought  reveals  his  situation  to 
him ;  a  creature  whose  very  name,  in  Hebrew,  means 
weakness:  will  he  not  be  overlooked  and  lost  in 
the  midst  of  such  infinite  surroundings'?  Doth  the 
great,  the  mighty  God,  the  Lord  of  hosts,  care  for 
such  an  one,  feel  an  interest  in  him  and  his  welfare? 
Hear  His  own  answer  to  the  question:  "Thus  saith 
the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity, 
whose  name  is  Holy:  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy 
place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble 
spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to 
revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones."  Isa.  Ivii.  15. 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord,  The  heaven  is  my  throne, 
and  the  earth  is  my  footstool,  ....  but  to  this  man 
will  I  look,  even  to  him  that  is  poor  and  of  a  contrite 
spirit,  and  trembleth  at  my  word."  Isa.  Ixvi.  1,  2. 
Here  is  God's  own  answer  to  the  question,  whether 
or  not  he  is  mindful  of  man.  Nor  is  he  simply 
mindful  of  him,  but  has  given  him  a  position  of  emi- 
nent superiority  in  his  creation. 

Verse  5.     For  thou  hast  made  him  a  little  lowei-  than  the  angels, 
and  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honour. 

In  describing  man  as  having  been  made  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels,  as  wanting  but  little  of  a 
celestial  elevation,  David  refers  to  the  peculiar  dig- 
nity conferred  upon  man  at  his  creation.     He  was 
9 


98  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

created  in  the  image  of  God.    "  God  said,  Let  us  make 

man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness So  God 

created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the  image  of  God 
created  he  him."  This  image  of  God  in  the  soul  of 
man  is  what  constitutes  his  great  and  peculiar  dig- 
nity in  the  scale  of  being.  The  image  itself  consists 
in  an  immortal,  intelligent,  and,  originally,  a  holy 
spirit — a  spirit  capable  of  seeing  truth  as  God  sees 
it,  right  and  wrong  as  he  sees  them,  and  of  advanc- 
ing in  its  similitude  to  him  in  these  things  more 
and  more  for  ever.  It  can  therefore  commune  with 
God,  and  God  with  it,  as  natures  in  living  and  intel- 
ligent sympathy  with  each  other.  It  is  this — God's 
having  created  man,  as  it  were,  a  minor  repetition 
of  himself — that  excited  David's  adoring  wonder, 
and  is  that  of  which  he  speaks  in  the  words,  "  Thou 
hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honour."  Physi- 
cally contemplated,  man  is  the  master-piece  of  crea- 
tion, its  crowning  glory  and  honour;  and  yet  the 
crowning  glory  and  honour  of  man,  is  his  rational 
soul — a  soul  bearing  the  moral  and  intellectual  im- 
press of  Him  whose  inspiration  it  is.  It  is  this  that 
elevates  him  infinitely  above  every  other  creature  of 
earth,  and  constitutes  him  the  appropriate  lord  and 
sovereign  of  the  world.  It  is  this  that  qualifies  him 
for,  and  entitles  him  to  exercise  the  dominion  of 
which  David  speaks  in  the  words. 

Verses  G-8.  Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works 
of  thy  hands:  thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet:  all 
sheep  and  oxen,  yea,  and  the  beasts  of  the  field;  the  fowl  of 
the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  whatsoever  passeth 
through  the  paths  of  the  sea. 

Man  was  made  for  this  dominion  over  all  terres- 
trial nature;  it  was  the  end  had  in  view  when  God 


PSALM   VIII.  99 

said,  "  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after  our  like- 
ness;" for  he  immediately  adds  thereto,  as  if  it  were 
the  purpose  for  which  he  was  about  to  create  man  in 
his  image,  "  and  let  him  have  dominion  over  the  fish 
of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  the 
cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth,  and  over  everything 
that  creepeth  upon  the  earth."  Gen.  i.  26.  It  is  the 
image  of  God  in  his  soul  that  gives  man  dominion 
over  everything  earthly  besides ;  that  enables  him  to 
subject  the  strongest  and  most  irresistible  of  nature's 
agencies  to  his  control;  to  make  earth  and  air,  fire 
and  water,  his  servants  to  do  his  bidding;  to  arrest 
and  direct  even  the  lightning  in  its  course,  and  send 
it  the  bearer  of  his  wishes  thousands  of  miles  in  an 
instant.  It  is  also  the  image  of  God  in  his  soul  that 
enables  him  to  subject  to  his  control  the  strongest, 
fiercest,  and  most  intractable  of  nature's  irrational 
tribes.  "  For  every  kind  of  beasts,  and  of  birds,  and 
of  serpents,  and  of  things  in  the  sea,  is  tamed,  and 
hath  been  tamed  by  man."  Jas.  iii.  7.  The  fear  of 
him,  and  the  dread  of  him,  is  upon  them  all,  Gen. 
ix.  2;  not  one  of  them,  not  even  the  lion,  can 
endure  the  steady  gaze  of  his  eye,  but  under  it 
shrinks  and  slinks  away  as  from  the  presence  of  a 
superior  nature.  Some  mystic  influence  surrounds 
man,  and  goes  out  from  him.  No  doubt  he  lost 
much  of  his  supremacy  over  the  brute  creation  by 
falling  into  sin;  but  sufficient  vestiges  of  it  remain 
to  indicate  what  it  must  have  been;  that  there  was 
a  time  when  the  little  child  could  lead  the  lion  as 
easily  as  it  could  lead  the  lamb;  and  play  with  the 
asp  and  the  cockatrice  unharmed.  Isa.  xi.  6,  8.  And 
even   now,  though  it   is   only  the   wreck    of  what 


100  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

it  was,  what  ascendency  does  the  image  of  God  in 
his  soul  give  man  over  the  earth,  and  all  that  therein 
is !  What  can  man  not  accomplish  that  he  sets  his 
heart  upon  accomplishing]  Time  and  space  he  has 
annihilated;  lifts  the  mountain  from  its  bed,  or 
makes  a  passage  for  himself  through  its  everlasting 
rocks ;  spans  fathomless  abysses  with  bridges  of  iron, 
and  lays  the  wires  for  the  transmission  of  his  light- 
ning voice  and  will  through  the  paths  of  the  seas. 
Yea,  more — the  image  of  God  in  his  soul  enables 
him,  having  only  earth  as  his  stand-point,  his  obser- 
vatory, to  commune  with  the  stars — to  tell  their  dis- 
tances, their  orbits,  the  period  of  their  revolutions, 
measure  their  magnitudes,  weigh  their  densities,  and 
to  tell  also  when  the  erratic  comet,  viewless  for  hun- 
dreds of  years  from  its  remoteness  in  space,  will 
return,  and  come  sweeping  over  his  own  meridian 
again.  No  wonder  that,  in  view  of  the  workings  of 
such  a  mind  and  will  in  man,  David  should  say  to 
his  God,  "  Thou  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and 
honour,  and  made  him  a  little  lower  than  the  angels." 

Verse  8.     0  Lord  our  Lord,  how  excellent  is  thj  name  in  all 
the  earth ! 

The  psalm  ends  as  it  began,  still  celebrating  the 
greatness  of  God  as  manifested  in  his  goodness  to 
man;  manifested  in  an  earth  vocal  everywhere  with 
the  love  of  its  Creator,  in  heavens  telling  the  same 
story  in  still  louder  tones,  and  in  an  immortal  soul 
endued  with  powers  of  thought  and  feeling  that  pro- 
claim it  to  be,  in  its  moral  and  intellectual  dignity, 
kindred  to  God  himself  Such  was  man,  and  in  such 
wise  did  the  heavens  and  the  earth  speak  to  his  con- 
sciousness, when  he  first  stood  forth  the  representa- 


PSALM   VIII.  .  101 

tive  of  God  in  his  terrestrial  creation.  But,  alas! 
how  soon  the  crown  fell  from  his  brow,  and  the  scep- 
tre from  his  hand! — so  soon,  that  for  the  last  six 
thousand  years  all  that  we  have  seen  of  his  greatness 
has  been  but  glimpses  of  the  image  in  which  he  was 
created,  and  of  the  dominion  for  which  that  image 
qualified  him. 

Does  some  one  ask  here,  Is  there  no  way  of 
restoring  man  his  lost  crown  and  sceptre"?  of  renew- 
ing in  his  soul,  in  original  brightness  and  integrity, 
the  image  in  which  he  was  created]  Yes,  a  way  has 
beed  devised  and  perfected  for  accomplishing  all  this, 
and  even  more.  When  Christ  united  his  Divine  with 
human  nature,  he  raised  man  as  much  above  what 
he  was  in  the  beginning,  as  the  possession  of  a 
rational  soul  in  the  beginning  raised  him  above  the 
merely  animal  creation  by  which  he  was  surrounded. 
Man  was  no  longer  a  little  lower  than  the  angels — 
the  union  elevated  him  to  a  dignity  above  them. 
Hence  we  read,  "  Do  ye  not  know  that  the  saints 
shall  judge  the  world]  Know  ye  not  that  we  shall 
judge  angels'?"  1  Cor.  xv.  2,  3.  As  our  human 
nature  appears  upon  the  judgment-seat  in  the  person 
of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  man  as  well  as  God,  we  are 
said  to  participate  with  him  in  his  judgment  of  men 
and  angels ;  that  is,  because  of  the  part  that  our 
human  nature  takes  in  the  judgment.  We  partici- 
pate in  all  the  honour  which  that  nature  receives  in 
being  united  with  the  Divine  in  Christ.  And  that 
our  humanity  might  be  clothed  with  this  glory  and 
honour,  Christ  himself  was,  for  a  short  time,  made  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels,  became  man,  that  he,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  might  taste  death  for  every  man,  for 
9* 


102  .  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

the  whole  human  race,  (Heb.  ii.  9,)  and  so  render 
us  all  capable  of  becoming  partakers  of  the  Divine 
nature.  2  Pet.  i.  4.  Angelic  nature  has  never  been  so 
honoured.  It  is  human  nature  alone  that  has  been 
honoured  with  the  union,  a  union  that  holds  out  to 
the  hopes  and  aspirations  of  every  man  a  holiness, 
purity  and  bliss,  like  those  of  Christ  himself.  If  this 
were  the  thought  in  David's  mind,  he  might  well 
demand,  "What  is  man,  that  thou  art  thus  mindful 
of  him'?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  so  visitest 
himl"  This  was  crowning  man  with  honour  and 
glory  indeed !  the  union  of  his  human  with  the  Divine 
nature  elevating  him  above  not  only  what  he  was 
before  he  fell,  but  also  above  the  angels!  This  being 
so,  David  could  well  omit  what  he  had  said  of  "  the 
heavens"  in  the  first  verse  of  the  psalm,  and  repeat 
at  its  close  only  the  words,  "  O  Lord,  our  Lord,  how 
excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth!"  However 
brightly  God's  love  shone  in  the  heavens,  among  the 
angelic  hosts,  it  was  altogether  eclipsed  and  cast  out 
of  mind  by  the  manifestations  of  his  love  to  man. 
AVhen  the  angels  fell,  they  fell  to  rise  no  more ;  no 
hand  from  on  high  was  stretched  forth  to  rescue 
them,  and  re-instate  them  in  pristine  glory.  It  was 
otherwise  with  man:  when  he  fell,  he  was  not  only 
re-instated  in  the  glory  he  had  lost,  but  raised  above 
it.  Nor  did  this  elevation  extend  only  to  his  mind, 
but  also  to  his  body:  "It  is  sown  in  corruption,  it  is 
raised  in  incorruption:  it  is  sown  in  dishonour,  it  is 
raised  in  glory :  it  is  sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in 
power:  it  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spi- 
ritual body."  And  as  God  has  advanced  the  mate- 
rial  and  natural   in  man  to  the  spiritual,  he   has 


PSALM    VIII.  103 

advanced  that  which  is  spiritual  in  him  to  the  celes- 
tial— made  it  a  partaker  of  a  Divine  nature.  Man, 
therefore,  can  have  a  just  and  adequate  conception  of 
himself,  of  the  dignity  to  which  he  is  capable  of 
being  raised,  only  as  he  contemplates  his  entire 
nature,  physical  and  intellectual,  as  it  is  seen  in 
Christ,  glorified  and  in  living  union  with  the  Divine. 
Let  us  all,  then,  strive  to  attain  unto  the  glory  and 
honour  that  God  has  prepared  for  us  by  uniting  our 
human  nature  with  his  Divine  nature  in  the  person 
of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  Under  his  feet  as  man, 
God  hath  put  all  things,  even  death  itself.  All 
power  is  given  unto  the  Son  in  heaven  and  in  earth, 
that  he  may  help  and  protect  with  almighty  power, 
all  those  in  whom  the  moral  and  intellectual  image 
of  God  has  been  renewed.  He  regards  all  such,  not 
simply  as  his  creatures,  as  the  angels  are,  but  as  his 
children.  Let  us,  then,  by  continual  prayer  for  the 
Holy  Spirit,  seek  to  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  our 
minds,  after  the  image  of  Him  who  created  us :  and 
then,  being  so  renewed,  however  much  we  may  adore 
the  goodness  of  God  in  the  heavens,  to  angel  and 
archangel,  when  we  consider  how  much  more  he 
has  done  for  us  men  and  our  salvation,  the  beginning 
and  the  end,  the  opening  and  the  close  of  our  every 
hymn  of  thanksgiving,  our  every  anthem  of  praise, 
will  be,  "  O  Lord,  our  Lord,  how  excellent  is  thy  name 
in  all  the  earth !"  how  unspeakable  is  thy  love  to  man ! 
And  if  any  man  perishes  after  God  has  done  all  this 
for  him,  how  fearful  will  his  perdition  be!  As  much 
more  fearful  than  that  of  the  angels,  as  he  has  been, 
in  the  Divine  design  and  intention,  elevated  above 
them. 


W4i  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  IX. 

To  a  generous  nature,  no  other  exercise  can  be  more 
delightful  than  that  of  rendering  to  God  praise  and 
thanks":ivin":  for  his  mercies.  It  is  the  exercise  to 
which  every  harp  in  heaven  is  tuned,  and  especially 
the  harps  of  the  redeemed.  They  cease  not,  day  nor 
night,  celebrating  the  deliverances  wrought  out  for 
them  by  their  God.  The  loudest  and  most  ceaseless 
voice  heard  in  heaven  is  the  anthem,  "Alleluia:  Sal- 
vation, and  glory,  and  honour,  and  power,  unto  the 
Lord  our  God."  And  a  voice  issues  also  from  the 
throne,  saying,  "Praise  our  God,  all  ye  his  servants, 
and  ye  that  fear  him,  both  small  and  great."  Rev. 
xix.  1,  5.  Such  is  the  song  of  the  Church  in  heaven. 
The  same  is  the  song,  though  in  a  modified  key,  of 
the  Church  on  earth.  Hence  David,  representing 
not  only  himself,  but  the  whole  Church  militant, 
opens  the  ninth  psalm  with  the  words: 

Verses  1,  2.  I  will  praise  tliee,  0  Lord,  with  my  whole  heart; 
I  will  show  forth  all  thy  marvellous  works.  I  will  be  glad 
and  rejoice  in  thee:  I  will  sing  praise  to  thy  name,  0  thou 
Most  High. 

It  is  God's  marvellous  works  that  determined  David 
to  praise  him  with  his  whole  heart;  not  the  works  of 
his  visible  creation,  but  the  works  of  his  providence, 
wrought  for  the  maintenance  of  true  religion,  and 
virtue,  and  the  punishment  of  wickedness  and  vice. 
It  is  the  contemplation  of  his  works  as  the  moral 
Governor  of  the  universe,  that  leads  David  to  be  glad 
and  rejoice  in  him,  and  to  sing  praises  to  his  name, 
as  to  the  Most  High.     He   sees   him   everywhere 


PSALM   IX. 


105 


smiling  upon  the  righteous,  frowning  upon  the 
wicked,  and  so  ordering  all  things  as  to  secure  the 
final  triumph  of  the  one,  and  the  final  overthrow  of 
the  other.  The  thought  is,  The  Lord  shows  himself 
everywhere  a  righteous  Governor,  therefore  he  must 
be  a  righteous  God:  he  exists  only  to  do  right,  and 
to  the  accomplishment  of  that  every  energy  and 
attribute  of  his  infinite  nature  is  directed.  All  this 
David  had  seen  in  his  government  of  the  world  for 
thousands  of  years,  and  especially  in  his  marvellous 
^orks — his  miracles  of  power  and  grace,  wrought  in 
behalf  of  the  people  whom  he  had  chosen  to  be  pecu- 
liarly his  own — those  to  whom  he  would  reveal 
himself  in  all  the  infinite  perfections  of  his  nature 
and  character.  It  is  the  revelation  that  God  had 
thus  made  of  himself,  that  inspired  David  to  speak 
of  him  as  he  does  in  the  opening  of  the  psalm,  as  a 
Being  altogether  worthy  of  the  soul's  unbounded 
love,  and  trust,  and  adoration.  He  then  proceeds  to 
enumerate  some  of  the  marvellous  works  of  the 
Lord,  as  the  moral  Governor  of  the  world,  making 
them,  as  he  passes  on,  alternately  the  basis  of  pro- 
phecy, praise,  and  prayer. 

Verses  3,  4.  When  mine  enemies  are  turned  back,  they  shall 
fall  and  perish  at  thy  presence.  For  thou  hast  maintained 
my  right  and  my  cause;  thou  sattest  in  the  throne  judging 
right. 

How  vivid  an  idea  does  David  give  us  here  of  the 
power  of  God !  His  enemies  fall  and  perish  at  his 
presence!  If  they  but  realize  that  they  are  before 
him,  faintness  seizes  upon  their  hearts,  and  they  sink. 
"Whom  seek  ye^'  said  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  God 
manifested  in  the  flesh,  to  those  who  had  come  out 


106  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

to  arrest  him,  and  they  answered,  "Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth." No  sooner  had  he  said  unto  them,  "I  am  he," 
than  they  went  backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground. 
John  xviii.  4-6.  God,  by  his  very  presence,  fills  the 
heart  of  guilt  with  fears  that  overcome  it.  The  Holy 
Spirit  also  makes  the  guilty  soul  hear  the  words,  "  I 
am  He:  I  am  thy  God,  now  before  thee,"  and  takes 
away  its  strength.  He  makes  the  soul  feel  itself  to 
be  in  the  presence  of  One  whom  it  cannot  withstand, 
and  with  whom  it  is  madness  to  contend.  This  inter- 
pretation of  David's  words,  lets  us  into  the  meaning  of 
the  promise  God  made  to  Moses,  when  about  to  leave 
Egypt  to  make  the  conquest  of  Canaan,  saying,  "  My 
presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee 
rest;"  and  also  the  meaning  of  Moses'  reply,  "If  thy 
presence  go  not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up  hence." 
Exod.  xxxiii.  14, 15.  The  symbol  of  God's  presence 
with  his  people  was  the  shekinah — the  luminous 
cloud  of  the  bush,  seen  by  Moses,  and  the  guide  of 
the  Hebrew  people  in  all  their  subsequent  wander- 
ings in  the  wilderness.  This  cloud,  however,  was 
one  thing  to  the  people  of  God,  and  quite  another  to 
his  enemies:  to  one,  it  was  a  guiding  pillar  of  light; 
to  the  other,  a  mass  of  bewildering  darknesss.  Exod. 
xiv.  19,  20,  24.  So  it  has  been,  so  it  is  now,  and 
so  it  will  ever  be — the  presence  of  God,  life  to  his 
friends,  death  to  his  enemies.  Nor  is  this  order  of 
things  the  result,  on  his  part,  of  arbitrary  will,  but 
the  result  of  the  maturest  deliberation.  "  For,"  says 
David,  "thou  hast  maintained  my  right  and  my 
cause:  thou  sattest  in  the  throne  judging  right." 
God's  every  procedure  is  that  of  an  impartial  judge. 
He  examines  well  every  cause  before  he  acts.     He 


PSALM   IX.  107 

sits  on  the  throne  judging  right;  and  the  right  of  a 
cause  determines  him  infallibly  to  favour  it,  as  the 
absence  of  right  determines  him  just  as  infallibly  to 
oppose  it.  It  was  therefore  David's  conviction  of  his 
being  in  the  right  that  enabled  him  so  confidently  to 
predict  that  his  enemies  would  fall  and  perish  at  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.  At  this  point,  however,  he 
passes  from  prophecy  to  history,  saying, 

Verses  5,  6.  Thou  hast  rebuked  the  heathen,  thou  hast  destroyed 
the  wicked,  thou  hast  put  out  their  name  for  ever  and  ever, 
0  thou  enemy!  destructions  are  come  to  a  perpetual  end; 
[or,  the  destructions  of  the  enemy  are  come  to  a  perpetual 
end,]  and  thou  hast  destroyed  cities;  their  memorial  ia 
perished  with  them. 

Such  is  the  doom  of  all  those  who  array  them- 
selves against  a  righteous  cause  and  a  righteous  God. 
The  Lord  so  rebukes  them  as  to  destroy  them;  to 
put  out  their  name  for  ever  and  ever;  to  bring  their 
destruction  of  others  to  a  perpetual  end,  raze  their 
own  cities  to  the  ground,  and  bury  their  memorial 
with  them  in  the  dust.  So  it  was  in  David's  days, 
so  it  had  been  before,  and  so  it  has  been  since. 
Where  now  are  the  many  and  powerful  nations  of 
Canaan  who  opposed  themselves  to  the  people  of 
God]  Gone!  Their  power  to  destroy  ceased;  they 
themselves  perished;  and  their  cities,  not  even  a 
memorial  of  tliem  remains  to  tell  us  where  they 
stood.  The  land  in  which  they  once  lived,  and 
reigned,  and  waged  war  against  the  God  of  heaven, 
is  as  barren  of  any  vestige  of  them,  as  if  they  had 
never  existed!  Their  very  ruins  have  perished! 
And  what  more  can  we  say  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  Baby- 
lon and  Nineveh'?  Little  indeed.  Though  they  were 
at  one  time  the  most  powerful  cities  upon  which  the 
sun  ever  shone,  they  have  long  since  been  "  empty, 


108  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

void,  and  waste."  And  where  too,  is  Rome — impe- 
rial Rome — the  eagle  of  whose  power  touched  with 
one  wing  the  rising,  and  with  the  other  the  setting 
sun,  and  cast  its  shadow  over  a  world]  She  too  is 
gone;  her  name  living  only  in  history.  She  has  a 
national  existence  nowhere  on  the  earth  which  she 
once  called  her  own.  Whatever  of  her  former  great- 
ness is  still  visible  in  the  world,  is  visible  only  in 
ruins!  Verily  "thou  hast  rebuked  the  heathen, 
thou  hast  destroyed  the  wicked,  thou  hast  put  out 
their  name  for  ever  and  ever." 

Verses  7,  8.  But  the  Lord  shall  endure  for  ever:  he  hath  pre- 
pared his  throne  for  judgment:  and  he  shall  judge  the 
world  in  righteousness:  he  shall  minister  judgment  to  the 
people  in  uprightness. 

David  here  draws  a  contrast  between  changing 
man  and  the  unchanging  God;  between  evermore 
vanishing  human  thrones,  and  the  throne  of  God 
high  and  lifted  up  —  his  throne  of  judgment  —  a 
throne  erected  to  try  and  determine  the  cause,  not 
of  David  only,  nor  of  his  people  only,  but  of  all 
men — to  judge  the  world  in  righteousness.  He 
teaches  that  right  and  wrong  everywhere  are  objects 
of  the  Divine  regard,  and  will  be  through  all  time, 
and  will  be  when  time  shall  be  no  more;  that  the 
Divine  judgment,  like  the  Divine  omnipresence,  em- 
braces every  creature  in  the  vastness  of  its  range. 
In  this  way  David  ascends  in  his  reasoning  from  the 
particular  to  the  general,  and  from  the  general  to  the 
universal,  making  the  Lord's  dealings  with  him  and 
his  people  Israel  the  basis  of  the  conclusion,  that  so 
he  will  deal  with  all  men.  He  thus  encourages  all 
men  everywhere  to  pursue  the  right,  assuring  them 
that,  in  pursuing  it,  the  God  of  all  righteousness  is 


PSALM   IX.  109 

with  them,  and  will,  in  due  time,  decide  it  in  their 
favour.  None  of  us  then  should  ever  either  fear  or 
hesitate  to  do  right,  leaving  the  issue  in  the  hands 
of  Him  whose  peculiar  province  it  is  to  defend  it,  and 
avenge  it.  Nor  does  he  only  defend  and  avenge  the 
right,  but, 

Verses  9,  10.  The  Lord  also  will  be  a  refuge  for  tlie  oppressed, 
a  refuge  in  times  of  trouble.  And  they  that  know  thy  name 
will  put  their  trust  in  thee;  for  thou,  Lord,  hast  not  forsaken 
them  that  seek  thee. 

The  Lord  is  not  only  the  righteous  Judge  and 
Vindicator  of  the  cause  of  the  oppressed,  but  he  is 
also  a  Refuge  for  them — a  refuge  in  times  of  trou- 
ble ;  a  high  place  unto  which  they  may  flee,  and  be 
safe ;  a  citadel  of  rock,  whence  they  can  look  down 
upon  their  enemies,  secure  and  defiant.  The  most 
that  a  human  judge  can  do,  is  to  acquit  the  innocent, 
and  leave  them  to  themselves.  It  is  otherwise  with 
the  Lord;  where  he  acquits,  he  afterwards  protects; 
he  never  forsakes  them  that  seek  him.  He  hence- 
forth surrounds  them  with  the  shield  of  his  presence, 
power,  and  love.  It  is  this  aspect  of  the  Lord's  deal- 
ings with  those  seeking  him  that  leads  David  to  say, 
"  they  that  know  thy  name,  will  put  their  trust  in 
thee."  It  is  only  necessary  to  know  the  name  of 
God,  to  learn  his  moral  character  as  it  is  exhibited 
from  generation  to  generation,  in  his  opposite  deal- 
ings with  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  to  inspire 
the  soul  with  unlimited  confidence  in  him  as  its 
Judge  and  Refuge.  The  revelation  that  history,  as 
a  whole,  makes  of  him  is,  that  he  is  holy,  just,  and 
good.  And  what  the  whole  Church  can  testify  to, 
as  the  result  of  all  of  God's  dealings  with  it,  every 
10 


110  LECTUTlES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

individual  believer  can  at  last  testify  to,  as  the  result 
of  all  His  dealings  with  him — that  is,  the  thorough 
persuasion  that  the  Lord  ever  judges  aright,  is  a 
refuge  from  the  oppressions  of  every  enemy,  and 
never  fails  any  who  seek  him.  How  readily,  then, 
may  every  believer  join  in  the  words, 

Verses  11,  12-.  Sing  praises  to  the  Lord,  which  dwelleth  in 
Zion:  declare  among  the  people  his  doings.  When  he  maketh 
inquisition  for  blood,  he  remembereth  them:  he  forgetteth 
not  the  cry  of  the  humble :  the  cry  of  the  afflicted. 

It  is  the  Lord  dwelling  in  Zion,  to  whom  David 
exhorts  us  to  sing  praises.  We  see  God  in  his 
works  of  nature  and  of  providence,  but  we  see  him 
there  through  a  darkened  glass,  as  compared  with 
the  view  he  gives  us  of  himself  in  Zion — in  the  ordi- 
nances of  his  house,  the  revelations  of  his  will,  and 
the  exhibitions  of  his  love.  He  there  reveals  him- 
self glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises,  doing 
wonders.  It  was  there  that  he  spake  to  the  believer's 
eye,  in  the  ever-burning  sacrifice  and  ascending 
incense ;  to  his  ear,  in  the  voice  issuing  from  the  holy 
of  holies ;  and  to  his  heart  in  all  things.  He  stood 
there  with  his  nature  and  attributes,  as  it  were 
unveiled  to  the  eye  of  the  beholder.  The  cloud  that 
shrouded  him  was  not  a  cloud  of  darkness,  but  a 
cloud  of  light,  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun. 
Speaking  to  them  in  nature  and  in  providence,  his 
creatures  might  sometimes  mistake  his  meaning  and 
the  import  of  his  words.  It  was  otherwise  when  he 
spake  to  them  from  his  dwelUng  place  in  Zion. 
Who  can  mistake  any  part  of  the  character  that  he 
gives  himself  in  the  words,  "The  Lord,  the  Lord 
God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abun- 
dant in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thou- 


PSALM   IX.  Ill 

sands,  forgiving  iniqnity,  and  transgression,  and  sin, 
and  that  will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty."  Exod. 
xxxiv.  6,  7.  How  plainly  do  these  words  tell  us 
that  the  Lord,  who  dwelleth  in  Zion,  is  infinitely 
merciful,  infinitely  holy,  and  infinitely  just.  And  all 
his  doings  are  in  strict  accordance  with  these  his 
infinite  attributes.  Hence  the  exhortation  to  declare 
among  the  people  his  doings.  His  doings  will  bear 
the  scrutiny  of  every  one.  He  never  deviates  from 
his  nature  in  anything  he  does.  He  feels  every 
wrong  inflicted  upon  the  innocent  as  a  wrong  inflicted 
upon  himself,  and  when  he  maketh  inquisition  for 
blood,  he  remembereth  them:  the  voice  of  their  blood 
crieth  unto  him  from  the  ground,  and  he  will  avenge 
it:  they  may  sometimes  think  otherwise,  but  he  for- 
getteth  not  the  cry  of  those  afliicted  for  his  sake: 
their  cry  enters  into  his  ear,  and  sinks  down  into  his 
heart.  Such  is  the  Lord  which  dwelleth  in  Zion, 
and  dwelleth  there  for  the  express  purpose  of  teach- 
ing man  what  He  is,  and  what  He  will  do.  I  am 
holy,  I  am  just,  I  am  good,  the  friend  of  the  right- 
eous, and  the  enemy  of  the  wicked,  are  words  writ- 
ten out  in  letters  of  living  light  upon  every  page  of 
the  statute  book  of  his  sanctuary.  Sing  praises, 
then,  sing  praises  unto  the  Lord  which  dwelleth  in 
Zion ;  unto  Him  who  hath  there  revealed  himself  to 
us,  as  our  hiding  place  from  the  tempest,  and  our 
refuge  from  the  storm. 

Verses  13,  14.  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord;  consider  my 
trouble  which  I  suffer  of  them  that  hate  me,  thou  that  liftest 
me  up  from  the  gates  of  death :  that  I  may  show  forth  all 
thy  praise  in  the  gates  of  the  daughter  of  Zion.  I  will  re- 
joice in  thy  salvation. 

Strange,  that  in  the  midst  of  such  jubilant  songs 


112  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  David  should  so  sud- 
denly betake  himself  to  prayer!  Strange!  did  we 
say'?  No:  it  is  not  strange:  for  none  of  our  joys  here 
are  without  something  of  sorrow  still: 

«'  E'en  the  rapture  of  pardon  is  mingled  with  fears, 
And  the  cup  of  thanksgiving  with  penitent  tears." 

We  no  sooner  experience  one  deliverance  than, 
taught  by  our  weakness,  we  know  that  we  shall 
quickly  need  another.  If  one  pulsation  of  our  hearts 
be  that  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  for  the  past,  the 
next  will  be  a  pulsation  of  fear  for  the  future.  How- 
ever many  enemies  God  may  have  subdued  under  us, 
there  Avill  be  some  still  remaining  to  hate  and  harm 
us:  there  will  at  least  still  be, 

"Temptation  without,  and  corruption  within." 

Our  prayer  unto  the  Lord,  therefore,  should  ever- 
more be  to  hft  us  up  from  the  gates  of  death,  the 
deep-sunk  and  strong-barred  prison  of  the  lost — 
sheol — whence  his  Son  delivered  us  by  dying  for  us 
upon  the  cross,  and  back  into  which  prison  we  shall 
certainly  glide  and  fall,  unless  he  at  every  moment 
sustain  us  by  the  grace  that  lifted  us  thence.  Nor 
should  we  seek  this  grace  simply  for  the  comfort 
that  it  may  bring  ourselves,  but  for  the  glory  it  will 
bring  to  God,  that  we  may  show  forth  all  his  praise 
in  the  gates  of  the  daughter  of  Zion,  tell  his  Church 
on  earth,  and  at  last  his  Church  in  heaven,  how  good 
and  gracious  he  has  been  to  us.  If  we  ask  deliver- 
ance, or  any  other  blessing,  for  any  other  purpose 
than  this,  we  ask  it  amiss.  The  heart  of  fire  and  the 
tongue  of  flame  are  to  be  desired,  only  that  we  may 
adequately  praise  God  for  his  mercies  to  us.     This  is 


PSALM   IX.  113 

the  thought  of  David  when  he  says,  "  I  will  rejoice 
in  thy  salvation."  He  desires  life  only  that  he  may 
serve  the  Lord  of  life.  And  when  we  so  forget  our- 
selves in  serving  and  glorifying  him,  he  will  forget 
himself  infinitely  more  in  serving  and  glorifying  us, 
and  inspire  us  with  an  all-absorbing  assurance  of 
final  victory  over  all  our  enemies.  Of  such  a  victory 
David  was  assured,  and  he  immediately  speaks  of  it 
as  a  victory  already  obtained,  saying. 

Verses  15,  16.  The  heathen  are  sunk  down  in  the  pit  that  they 
made:  in  the  net  which  they  hid  is  their  own  foot  taken. 
The  Lord  is  known  by  the  judgment  which  he  executeth: 
the  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of  his  own  hands. 

Higgaion — meditate  upon  that.  Selah — pause,  to 
consider  it  Here  is  a  repetition  of  what  we  have 
had  before,  (Ps.  vii.  15,  16,)  "the  wicked  sunk  down 
into  their  pit,  and  caught  in  their  own  net"  It  is 
so  always.  Wickedness  sooner  or  later  overreaches 
itself,  and  defeats  its  own  aims.  This,  we  are 
assured,  is  a  result  of  the  Divine  ordering.  The  Lord 
is  known  by  the  judgment  which  he  executeth.  His 
judgm^ents  are  always  of  a  character  to  manifest,  on 
the  one  hand,  his  own  immutable  justice;  and  on  the 
other,  that  vice  is  self-destructive,  that  the  wicked  is 
snared  in  the  work  of  his  own  hands.  Nothing  that 
a  wicked  man  does  to  the  injury  of  others,  can  end  to 
his  advantage.  By  Divine  appointment  the  evil  of 
the  evil-doer  hems  him  in  as  by  a  circle  of  fire,  con- 
tracting more  and  more  till  it  consumes  him.  It  is 
his  thorough  conviction  of  the  existence  of  this  order 
of  things  that  enables  David  to  speak  of  the  over- 
throw of  his  enemies  as  a  thing  already  accomplished. 
Nor  does  he  stop  at  this,  but  adds, 
10* 


114  LECTURES    ON    THE    PSALMS. 

Verses  17,  18.  The  wicked  sliall  be  turned  into  hell — shol — 
and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God :  for  the  needy  shall  not 
always  be  forgotten:  the  expectation  of  the  poor  shall  not 
perish  for  ever. 

Here  the  Psalmist's  eye  glances  from  God's  judg- 
ments in  this  world,  to  his  judgment  in  the  world  to 
come.  This  is  the  last  thought  wherewith  he  encour- 
ages the  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake,  to  con- 
tinue steadfast  and  immovable.  Clouds  and  darkness 
may  be  round  about  them,  in  their  way  through  life, 
and  at  their  exit  out  of  it,  but  the  Lord  hath  not  for- 
gotten them:  their  hope  shall  yet  be  realized:  their 
expectation  of  a  final  triumph  shall  not  perish  for 
ever.  There  is  a  day  coming  when  their  character 
shall  be  vindicated  before  an  assembled  world,  and 
their  enemies  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment. 
"  One  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a 
thousand  years  as  one  day."  He  who  is  from  everlast- 
ing to  everlasting  can  take  his  own  time  to  redress 
the  wrongs  of  those  hoping  in  his  mercy:  though  we 
feel  assured  that  he  will  take  the  earliest  moment 
dictated  by  wisdom.  Let  us  all  then,  without  one 
impatient  or  repining  thought,  leave  all  judgment, 
and  the  time  of  executing  it,  in  his  hands,  even  as 
David  does,  saying, 

Verses  19,  20.  Arise,  0  Lord;  let  not  man  prevail;  let  the 
heathen  be  judged  in  thy  sight.  Put  them  in  fear,  0  Lord; 
that  the  nations  may  know  themselves  to  be  but  men.   Selah. 

David  here  prays  the  Lord  to  arise  above  those 
who,  in  their  pride  and  arrogance,  had  risen  above 
him — forgotten  him,  and  forgotten  themselves;  for- 
gotten that  they  were  but  men.  To  what  heights 
of  arrogance  has  the  pride  of  man  not  carried  him ! 
what  titles  has  it  not   led   him   to   assume!  what 


PSALM   IX.  115 

power  not  to  claim !  and  how  signally  has  God  some- 
times pmiished  him  for  it !  For  claiming  that  Baby- 
lon had  been  built,  and  his  kingdom  become  great 
by  the  might  of  his  OAvn  power,  Nebuchadnezzar  was 
the  same  hour  bereft  of  reason,  and  driven  forth  to 
eat  grass  as  the  ox,  till  he  should  acknowledge  that 
the  Most  High  ruleth  in  the  kingdom  of  men,  and 
giveth  it  to  whomsoever  he  will.  Dan.  iv.  30 — 32. 
And  Herod,  too,  was  similarly  dealt  with  when  he 
exulted  in  his  kingly  authority  as  a  thing  of  his  own 
achieving,  and  listened  with  pleasure  to  the  people 
shouting  under  the  spell  of  his  eloquence,  "It  is  the 
voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a  man."  Immediately  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  smote  him,  because  he  gave  not 
God  the  glory;  and  he  was  eaten  of  worms,  and  gave 
up  the  ghost.  Acts  xii.  22,  23.  The  Lord  is  known 
by  the  judgment  which  he  executeth.  There  is  not 
another  thing  that  he  so  hates  and  detests,  loathes 
and  abhors,  as  he  does  human  pride.  "Put  them  in 
fear,  O  Lord,  that  the  nations  may  know  that  they 
are  but  men."  And  what  can  be  more  eminently 
calculated  to  inspire  men  with  fear,  than  what  David 
has  taught  us  in  this  psalm,  namely,  that,  by  Divine 
appointment,  the  wicked  are  snared  in  the  work  of 
their  own  hands;  moreover,  that  the  Lord  pursues 
them  with  his  judgments  in  this  world,  or,  if  he 
allows  them  to  escape  his  hand  in  this  world,  he 
overtakes  them  with  judgment  in  the  world  to  come"? 
Beloved  readers,  this  God  is  our  God;  all  that  this 
psalm  says  he  will  do  for  the  righteous  he  will  do ; 
and  all  that  it  says  he  will  do  to  the  wicked,  he  will 
do.  Let  us  then  seek  the  mercy  of  Him  whose 
justice  we  cannot   endure.     "BeHeve  on  the  Lord 


116  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  He  will 
vanquish  your  every  enemy,  even  death  itself,  and 
enable  you  to  hear  the  voice  that  breaks  up  the 
slumbers  of  the  dead,  not  only  undismayed,  but  with 
joy  and  thanksgiving,  and  to  ascend  to  the  last  judg- 
ment confident  of  an  acquittal  with  commendation. 
Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him! 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  X. 

However  thoroughly  we  may  be  persuaded  that  God 
worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will, 
in  the  heavens  above,  and  on  the  earth  beneath,  and 
worketh  all  things  in  wisdom  and  in  righteousness, 
still  there  are  times  when  we  cannot  but  wonder  that 
he  should  allow  innocence  to  suifer,  and  guilt  to 
prosper,  so  long  as  he  sometimes  does.  This  wonder 
often  fills  the  heart  of  the  patriot,  convinced  of  the 
entire  righteousness  of  his  cause,  but  experiencing 
defeat  after  defeat,  till  his  heart  dies  within  him.  It 
sometimes  possesses  the  soul  of  the  believer  too.  It 
disturbed  many  a  Reformer  before  the  Reformation; 
many  an  humble  Christian  during  the  dark  ages  of 
the  Church.  They  saw  innocence  broken  upon  the 
wheel,  burning  at  the  stake,  toiling  in  the  galleys, 
and  pining  away  in  dungeons;  while  guilt  was 
arrayed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  fared  sump- 
tuously every  day.  But  though  they  saw  these  things, 
they  never  ceased  to  believe  that  the  Lord  was  right- 
eous; their  only  anxious  thought  in  regard  to  him 


PSALM   X.  117 

was,  whither  he  had  betaken  himself.  This  was 
evidently  the  thought  in  David's  mind  when  he  com- 
posed the  tenth  psalm;  a  psalm  in  several  respects 
so  like  to  the  one  going  before  it,  that  the  transla- 
lors  of  the  Septiiagint  and  Vulgate  editions  of  the 
Old  Testament  have  made  but  one  of  the  two. 
David  conld  not  but  believe  the  Lord  to  be  the 
righteous  Governor  he  had  represented  him  in  the 
preceding  psalm;  but  seeing  the  righteous  depressed, 
and  the  wicked  rampant,  and  unwilling  to  abate  his 
faith  in  God's  perfect  justice,  he  demands  the  reason 
for  what  he  beheld,  saying, 

Verses  1,  2.  Why  standcst  thou  afar  ofF,  0  Lord?  why  hidesfc 
thou  thyself  in  times  of  trouble  ?  The  wicked  in  his  pride 
doth  persecute  the  poor:  let  them  be  taken  in  the  devices 
which  they  have  imagined.  [Or,  they,  the  poor,  are  taken 
in  the  devices  which  they,  the  wicked,  have  imagined.] 

Here  is  a  posture  of  things  well  calculated  to  ex- 
cite an  appeal  to  a  righteous  God — the  righteous 
trodden  under  foot  by  the  wicked,  and  taken  in  their 
plots.  David  had  said  in  the  preceding  psalm,  "  the 
Lord  also  will  be  a  refuge  for  the  oppressed;  a  refuge 
in  times  of  trouble."  And  is  not  such  his  faith  now? 
Undoubtedly;  and  it  is  this  faith  that  leads  him  to 
demand,  "Why  standest  thou  afar  off,  O  Lord]  why 
hidest  thou  thyself  in  times  of  troubled'  He  be- 
lieves that  a  righteous  God  cannot  look  with  indif- 
ference upon  what  is  passing  before  him;  that  he 
cannot  connive,  as  it  were,  at  the  pride  and  persecu- 
tions of  the  wicked,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  inno- 
cent. David  speaks  to  God  as  a  loving  and  con- 
fiding child  speaks  to  his  father,  reasoning  with  him 
out  of  his  own  attributes  and  character,  assuming 


118  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

that  it  is  in  his  very  nature  to  minister  justice,  and 
judgment,  and  equity;  and  that  therefore  he  must, 
in  the  present  instance,  interpose  to  put  an  end  to 
the  wickedness  of  the  wicked,  and  establish  the  just. 
All  this  is  implied  in  the  reiterated  "why,"  with 
which  the  psalm  opens.  It  indicates,  on  David's 
part,  no  abatement  of  faith  in  the  righteousness  of 
his  God,  now  that  clouds  and  darkness  surround  him, 
but  rather  an  appealing  to  it  with  increased  confi- 
dence and  energy.  The  pressure  of  external  evil 
served  only  to  develop  David's  faith  in  God,  that  he 
will  not  leave  the  persecuted  poor  in  the  toils  of  the 
enemy,  but  in  his  own  good  time  rescue  and  deliver 
them. 

Verse  3.  For  the  wicked  boasteth  of  his  heart's  desire,  and 
blesseth  the  covetous,  whom  the  Lord  abhorreth.  [Or,  the 
covetous  blesseth  himself;  he  abhorreth  the  Lord.] 

Here  is  a  sad  picture  of  depravity — the  wicked 
boasteth  of  his  heart's  desire;  unblushingly  pro- 
claims the  evil  upon  which  his  heart  is  set,  and, 
having  accomplished  it,  glories  in  it.  Evil  has 
become  his  good,  and  he  pursues  it  with  his  whole 
soul.  This  is  not  an  unusual  character;  we  often 
hear  men  boasting,  not  only  of  the  evil  they  will  do, 
but  of  the  evil  they  have  done.  Nor  does  the  wicked 
man  always  rejoice  only  in  his  own  evil,  but  also  in 
the  evil  of  others.  Hence  we  read,  "he  blesseth  the 
covetous,  whom  the  Lord  abhorreth."  He  taketh 
pleasure  in  the  griping,  the  grasping,  the  extortion- 
ate; in  men  who  are  God's  abhorrence.  Or,  if  we 
give  the  other  rendering,  "the  covetous  blesseth  him- 
self, he  abhorreth  the  Lord,"  we  have  the  character 
of  the   wicked   man   still   more  darkly  delineated. 


PSALM   X.  119 

Kight  and  wrong  are  alike  to  him,  provided  they 
bring  him  gain.  His  ungodly  gains  induce  contempt 
of  his  Maker.  He  has  made  gold  his  hope,  and  fine 
gold  his  confidence.  He  fancies  that  he  has  become 
rich  without  God,  and  that  he  will  remain  rich  in 
spite  of  him.  And  let  none  of  us  suppose  that  such 
is  not  the  general  eff'ect  of  riches  upon  the  human 
heart;  and  especially  of  riches  unscrupulously  ob- 
tained. That  which  any  of  us  imagine  we  have 
obtained  without  God,  we  are  very  apt  to  think 
we  can  retain  without  him;  that  the  same  tact 
and  talent  which  gained  us  our  wealth,  will,  irre- 
spective of  any  other  means,  secure  it  to  us  in  per- 
petuity. 

Verse  4.  The  wicked,  through  the  pride  of  his  countenance, 
will  not  seek  after  God  :  God  is  not  in  all  his  thoughts.  [Or, 
all  his  thoughts  are,  "  There  is  no  God."] 

Here  is  an  advance  in  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked. 
Success  has  so  elated  his  pride,  that  he  will  not  seek 
after  God.  He  makes  no  inquiry  whether  God 
regards  human  actions;  nor  whether  there  exists,  in 
the  nature  of  things,  or  by  Divine  appointment,  any 
such  things  as  right  and  wrong.  Practically,  he 
acknowledges  no  god  but  his  own  will,  and  the 
desires  of  his  heart.  Or,  as  some  render  the  first 
part  of  the  verse.  The  wicked,  in  his  pride,  thinks 
that  God  will  not  seek  after  him,  will  take  no  notice 
of,  and  make  no  inquiry  into  his  conduct.  He  thinks 
that  he  is  in  none  of  God's  thoughts,  as  God  is  in 
none  of  his.  All  his  thoughts  are,  "There  is  no 
God."  Thoughts  here  mean  plans,  purposes,  enter- 
prises. Not  one  of  his  plans  for  life  bespeaks  his 
belief  in  the  existence  of  an  overruling  power.     If 


120  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

he  acknowledge  the  existence  of  such  a  power,  it  is 
only  in  words;  it  is  a  bed-ridden  thought  in  his  soul, 
and  gives  neither  shape,  nor  colour,  nor  direction  to 
anything  he  does.  And,  alas !  is  there  not  much  of 
this  at  least  practical  atheism  in  the  heart  of  every 
one  of  US'?  How  few  of  our  plans  for  life  bespeak 
our  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  God  who  made  us 
what  we  are,  and  gave  us  what  we  have — to  whom 
we  are  accountable,  and  who  will  bring  us  into  judg- 
ment for  our  lives  on  earth!  Every  man  is  practi- 
cally an  atheist,  who  does  not  live,  and  act,  and  plan 
for  eternity. 

Verse  5.  His  ways  are  always  grievous;  tliy  judgments  are  far 
above  out  of  his  sight:  as  for  all  his  eueinies,  he  puflFeth  at 
them. 

These  words  describe  the  external  condition  of  the 
man  whose  pride  leads  him  to  practical  atheism.  His 
ways  are  always  prosperous.  So  the  best  critics 
understand  the  word  "grievous":  everything  goes 
according  to  his  wishes ;  not  one  of  his  plans  appears 
to  fail.  As  for  the  judgments  of  God,  they  are  far 
above  out  of  his  sight;  he  sees  them  not,  he  feels 
them  not,  and  therefore  does  not  believe  in  their 
existence  for  himself.  As  for  all  his  enemies,  he 
puffeth  at  them;  treats  them  with  supercilious  con- 
tempt, hisses  them  out  of  his  sight,  scatters  them  by 
the  veriest  breath  of  his  displeasure,  as  leaves  are 
scattered  by  the  wind.  His  character  is  that  of  the 
unjust  judge,  so  tersely  and  darkly  described  in  the 
parable,  who  feared  not  God,  nor  regarded  man, 
(Luke  xviii.  4;)  a  being  of  supreme  selfishness,  him- 
self his  sole  centre  of  hope,  happiness,  and  care. 
And   let   none   of  us    suppose    that   uninterrupted 


PSALM   X.  121 

prosperity  may  not  have  the  same  effect  upon  our 
hearts ;  rendering  us  as  fearless  of  God,  and  regard- 
less of  man. 

Verse  6.     He  liath  said  in  his  heart,  I  shall  not  be  moved;  for  I 
shall  never  be  in  adversity. 

Impunity  in  the  past,  makes  the  wicked  confident 
of  the  future.  He  says  "  in  his  heart,  I  shall  not  be 
moved."  God,  if  there  be  a  God,  does  not  choose  to 
interfere  in  my  affairs;  and  no  man,  if  he  would, 
dare  to  interfere.  I  shall  therefore  never  be  in  adver- 
sity ;  I  have  my  fortunes  in  my  own  keeping,  and  no 
power  can  mar  them.  How  naturally  this  feeling 
glides  into  every  heart,  whose  desires  have  been  long 
indulged  and  gratified.  The  rich  man  spoke  about 
many  years  of  self-indulgence,  as  if  the  years  were  in 
his  own  hands;  and  while  the  words  were  yet  in  his 
mouth,  "  God  said  unto  him.  Thou  fool,  this  night 
shall  thy  soul  be  required  of  thee."  Luke  xii.  20. 

Verse  7.     His  mouth  is  full  of  cursing,  and  deceit,  and  fraud; 
under  his  tongue  is  mischief  and  vanity. 

Here  the  thoughts  of  the  wicked  pass  into  words, 
into  cursing,  deceit,  and  fraud.  He  imprecates  curses 
upon  himself,  to  conceal  his  deceit;  and  he  labours 
for  such  concealment,  that  he  may  more  successfully 
practice  fraud.  He  frames  his  speech,  not  to  benefit 
others,  but  to  accomplish  his  selfish  ends.  Who  can 
tell  how  much  poison  there  is  in  our  words!  So 
much,  that  St.  James  says,  he  that  offendeth  not  in 
word,  is  a  perfect  man,  and  able  to  bridle  the  whole 
body.  James  iii.  2.  "Under  his  tongue  is  mischief 
and  vanity,"  or  oppression.  The  poison-sacks  of 
serpents  are  under  the  tongue;  and  as  the  serpent 
11 


122  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ejects  the  poison  from  them  only  to  kill,  so  the 
Avicked  man  uses  language  only  for  mischief  and 
oppression. 

Verse  8.  He  sittetli  in  the  lurking-places  of  the  villages:  in  the 
secret  places  doth  he  murder  the  innocent:  his  eyes  are 
privily  set  against  the  poor. 

A  vivid  description  of  the  active  principle  of  evil, 
as  it  manifests  itself  in  countries  where  systems  of 
espionage  and  secret  police  prevail.  The  secret, 
governmental  spy  sitteth  in  the  lurking-places  of  the 
villages,  watches  his  victims  from  his  concealment  of 
place  or  character,  as  the  lion  watches  his  prey  from 
his  hiding-place.  "In  the  secret  places  doth  he 
murder  the  innocent;"  drags  them  away  to  some 
secret  tribunal — such  as  the  Inquisition  was  and  is — 
where  their  cry  of  anguish,  and  the  voice  of  their 
wrongs,  are  smothered  together.  "His  eyes  are  pri- 
vily set  against  the  poor:"  no  man  knows,  in  such 
countries,  who  is  acting  the  spy  upon  him.  If  he 
worship  God  after  the  dictates  of  conscience,  or 
speak  of  human  liberty  as  a  human  right,  out  springs 
some  spy  from  his  concealment  of  place  or  character, 
and  tells  him  of  a  sentence  against  him  to  be  exe- 
cuted speedily. 

AVERSE  9.  He  lieth  in  wait  secretly,  as  a  lion  in  his  den ;  he 
lieth  in  wait  to  catch  the  poor;  he  doth  catch  the  poor,  when 
he  drawcth  him  into  his  net. 

Here  the  wicked  man  is  compared  first  to  the  lion, 
watching  his  prey  from  his  lurking-place;  and  then, 
to  a  hunter  casting  his  net.  So  it  is;  how  often 
does  wickedness  combine  the  ferocity  of  the  brute 
with  the  intelligence  of  man,  to  accomplish  its  selfish 
ends!     Nor  does  it  stop  at  this;  if  it  fail  to  realize 


PSALM   X.  123 

its  aims  by  force,  it  then  changes  its  tactics.     Hence 
we  read  of  the  wicked: 

Verse  10.     He  croucheth,  and  humbleth  liimself,  tliat  the  poor 
may  f\ill  by  his  strong  ones. 

The  lion  comes  crouching  and  fawning  to  your 
feet,  but  only  that,  having  thus  thrown  you  off  your 
guard,  his  spring  may  be  the  more  deadly;  that  he 
may  break  you  with  his  jaws,  and  rend  you  with  his 
claws,  more  fearfully.  If  the  Church  of  Rome  had 
sat  for  this  picture  of  the  wicked  man,  the  likeness 
could  not  have  been  more  accurate.  Her  policy, 
and  the  policy  of  all  the  governments  whose  policy 
she  has  been  able  to  control,  has  always  been,  first 
force,  then  fraud.  Nevertheless,  whether  employing 
force  or  fraud,  threatening  or  persuasion,  bulls  of  ex- 
communication, or  enticing  words,  having  but  a  single 
end  in  view,  the  subjugation  of  the  universal  human 
will  and  conscience  to  her  control.  Her  strong  ones, 
into  whose  power  the  weak  have  finally  fallen,  have 
at  last  always  been  fire  and  faggot,  wheel  and  screw, 
inquisition  and  sequestration.  If,  however,  any  of 
us  suppose  that  the  character  she  has  developed  is 
anything  else  than  the  unrestrained  natural  wicked- 
ness of  the  human  heart,  we  are  mistaken.  "  As  in 
water,  face  answereth  to  face,  so  doth  the  heart  of 
man  to  man."  Pro  v.  xxvii.  19. 

Verse  11.     He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  God  hath  forgotten:  he 
hideth  his  face,  he  will  never  see  it. 

David  here  recurs  to  the  prolific  source  of  all  the 

wickedness  of  the  wicked — his  practical  disbelief  in 

the  existence  of  an  overruling  Providence.     He  does 

not  believe  that  God  sees,  remembers,  and  will  bring 

every  work   into  judgment.     It  is  surprising  what 


124  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

strides  men  will  take  in  iniquity  when  once  the  idea 
of  an  avenging  God  is  banished  from  their  minds ! 
Into  what  a  pandemonium  did  it  convert  the  whole 
of  France !  Sin  ran  riot,  till  men  were  glutted  with 
it;  and  one  of  the  chief  anarchists  said,  "If  there 
were  no  God,  I  would  decree  the  existence  of  one, 
for  there  is  no  governing  the  world  without  at  least 
the  idea."  The  whole  nation  learned,  almost  too 
late  to  save  themselves  from  ruin,  that  God  was  not 
a  listless  spectator  of  their  doings;  that  they  whose 
motto  and  battle-cry  in  regard  to  Jesus  was,  "  Crush 
the  wretch!"  were  themselves  felled  to  the  earth  by 
the  blows  they  aimed  at  him  in  the  persons  of  his 
followers. 

Verses  12, 13.  Arise,  0  Lord;  0  God,  lift  up  thy  hand:  forget 
not  the  humble.  Wherefore  doth  the  wicked  contemn  God? 
He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  Thou  wilt  not  require  it. 

Having  set  forth  in  the  previous  portions  of  the 
psalm  how  the  long-suffering  forbearance  of  God 
had  served  only  to  increase  the  wickedness  of  the 
wicked  in  word,  thought,  and  deed,  and  emboldened 
him  to  affirm  that  there  is  no  God,  or  that,  if  there 
be,  he  does  not  concern  himself  with  the  affairs  of 
men,  David  here  calls  upon  God  to  vindicate  himself 
from  the  blasphemous  aspersion — to  arise,  and  cast 
off  his  seeming  indifference;  and  now,  as  if  he  had 
been  standing  with  his  hand  in  his  bosom,  to  lift  up 
his  arm  for  some  signal  stroke  of  avenging  justice, 
he  appeals  to  the  Lord  his  God  to  do  this  for  his 
own  sake,  for  the  vindication  of  his  character  for 
righteousness,  saying,  "Wherefore  should  the  wicked 
contemn  God,  by  saying  in  his  heart.  Thou  wilt  not 
require  if?"     Thou  wilt  not  recognize  any  such  dis- 


PSALM   X.  125 

tinctions  as  right  and  wrong,  righteous  and  imright- 
eous.  Arise,  O  Lord,  and  rebuke  this  impious  incre- 
dulity in  regard  to  thy  real  character,  and  so  rebuke 
it  that  all  men  shall  see  that  there  is  no  oblivion 
with  thee,  no  want  of  inquiry,  and  no  want  of  retri- 
butive justice. 

Verse  14.  Tliou  hast  seen  it;  for  thou  beholdcst  mischief  and 
spite,  to  requite  it  with  thy  hand :  the  poor  committeth  him- 
self unto  thee;  thou  art  the  helper  of  the  fatherless. 

The  wicked  had  declared  that  God  regarded 
neither  the  oppressor  nor  the  oppressed;  David  here 
replies  that  he  regards  both,  and  will  deal  with  both 
according  to  their  characters.  The  Lord  may  delay 
long  before  he  deals  with  the  wronged  and  the  wrong- 
doer according  to  their  deserts;  but  that  is  no  evi- 
dence that  he  in  the  meantime  regards  both  alike — 
that  is,  both  with  indifference.  Faith  still  contem- 
plates him  as  only  awaiting  the  fittest  time  to  avenge 
the  one,  and  punish  the  other. 

Verse  15.  Break  thou  the  arm  of  the  Avickcd  and  of  the  evil 
man :  seek  out  his  wickedness  till  thou  find  none. 

Destroy  all  his  power  to  do  evil,  ferret  out  his 
wickedness  till  none  remains  to  be  found;  convince 
him  that  not  only  atrocious  acts,  but  the  thoughts  of 
the  heart  come  within  the  scope  of  thy  judgments. 
Such  is  the  clearance  of  moral  evil  that  God  will  at 
last  make  in  his  universe — so  complete  that  even  his 
own  all-searching  eye  shall  not  be  able  to  discover  a 
vestige  of  it  remaining. 

Verse  16.  The  Lord  is  King  forever  and  ever:  the  heathen  are 
perished  out  of  his  laud. 

Here  is  the  faith  that  sustains  the  heart  of  the 
believer  in  the  darkest  hour  of  the  darkest  night  of 
11* 


126  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

providence:  "the  Lord  is  King  for  ever  and  ever;" 
of  his  government  there  is  no  end;  its  lines  run  on 
parallel  with  the  ages  of  eternity;  guilt,  therefore, 
can  never  escape  its  vengeance,  nor  innocence  fail  of 
its  vindication.  "The  heathen  are  perished  out  of 
his  land."  David  here  speaks  of  a  thing  to  come,  as 
if  it  were  already  passed,  so  certainly  would  it  be 
brought  about  under  the  eternal  rule  of  God.  Such 
is  the  privilege  of  faith,  fixing  its  eye  upon  a 
righteous  God,  seated  upon  an  everlasting  throne  of 
empire,  it  is  enabled  to  speak  of  things  that  are,  as 
if  they  were  not;  and  of  things  that  are  not,  as  if 
they  were. 

Verses  17,  18.  Lord,  thou  hast  heard  the  desire  of  the  hum- 
ble: thou  wilt  prepare  their  heart,  thou  wilt  cause  thine  ear 
to  hear:  to  judge  the  fatherless  and  the  oppressed,  that  the 
man  of  the  earth  may  no  more  oppress. 

Here  is  the  conclusion  to  which  faith  is  sure  to 
arrive  at  last.  However  rampant  sin  may  become  in 
the  earth,  however  long  innocence  may  suffer,  the 
assurance  at  last  glides  into  the  heart  of  the  believer, 
that  these  things  will  not  continue  always  so.  God 
himself,  by  the  operations  of  his  Spirit,  inspires  the 
assurance.  He  prepares  the  heart,  in  the  midst  of 
the  worst  things,  to  hope  for  the  best;  in  the  midst 
or  a  world  groaning  and  travailing  in  pain  for  sin,  to 
hope  for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness;  where  the  wicked  shall  cease 
from  troubling,  and  the  weary  be  at  rest.  In  this 
way  the  liOrd  heareth  the  desire  of  the  humble.  He 
heareth  them,  either  by  granting  them  their  heart's 
desire  at  the  present  time,  or  by  giving  them  such  an 
inward  assurance  of  granting  it  in  the  future,  that 


PSALM   X.  127 

peace,  the  peace  of  God,  enters  into  and  possesses  the 
soul.  Nor  does  he  give  us  this  assurance  of  peace 
only  in  regard  to  external,  but  also  in  regard  to  all 
internal  enemies.  He  gives  us  assurance  of  a  time 
when  the  heart  shall  rest  for  ever  in  its  God — when 
all  its  conflicts  with  its  own  weakness  and  corrup- 
tions will  have  ceased,  and  it  be  filled  with  a  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 

One  thought  more,  before  we  close.  Let  none 
of  us  mistake  who  the  wicked  man  of  this  psalm  is. 
Beloved  reader,  his  character  may  be  yours  or  mine. 
It  is  that  of  every  one  whose  natural  wickedness  has 
been  left  to  develop  itself  unmodified  by  the  restrain- 
ing or  transforming  grace  of  God.  Everything  that 
this  wicked  man  is  herein  described  as  thinkins:, 
saying,  and  doing,  you  and  I  would  think,  and  say, 
and  do,  if  left  to  ourselves.  He  is  designed  to  repre- 
sent in  every  age,  the  man  who  has  no  hope,  and  is 
without  God  in  the  world.  You  and  I,  beloved 
reader,  see  in  this  wicked  man,  only  what  we  are 
capable  of  becoming,  and  what,  in  all  the  dark  essen- 
tials of  his  character,  we  surely  will  become,  if  God 
do  not  change  us  by  his  grace,  renew  us  in  the  spirit 
of  our  minds,  and  then  evermore  strengthen  us  with 
might  by  his  Holy  Spirit  in  the  inner  man,  that  we 
may  be  enabled  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and 
having  done  all,  to  stand.  Let  us  then  seek  at  once 
the  grace  that  will  save  us  from  the  character  and 
the  doom  of  the  wicked  man  of  our  psalm,  and  seek 
it  till  God  inspire  in  our  hearts  the  assurance  that 
he  has  heard  our  prayers. 


128  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XL 

It  is  by  no  means  always  an  easy  question  for  the 
good  man  to  decide,  when  he  shall  flee,  and  when 
resist,  the  storm  of  immorality  and  irreligion  that 
may  be  prevailing  in  the  community  to  which  he 
belongs.  He  may  err  as  widely  in  precipitating  the 
time  for  doing  a  thing,  as  he  can  in  allowing  the  time 
to  pass  by  unimproved.  It  is  as  much  the  part  of  a 
good  general  to  know  when  to  halt,  as  when  to 
advance ;  when  to  retreat,  as  when  to  attack ;  when 
to  save  life,  as  when  to  cast  it  away.  The  only 
question  for  him  to  settle,  is,  which  course  for  the 
time  being,  will,  in  the  end,  best  promote  the  cause 
he  has  in  hand.  Our  Lord  both  spoke  and  acted  on 
this  principle,  counselling  his  disciples  at  one  time  to 
save  themselves  by  flight;  at  another,  to  remain  at 
their  posts,  even  at  the  cost  of  their  lives.  He  coun- 
selled them  to  determine  their  line  of  conduct,  not 
by  its  consequences  to  themselves,  but  by  its  conse- 
quences to  the  cause  by  which  they  were  identified. 
If  flight  would  best  promote  its  interests,  they  were 
to  flee;  if  remaining  at  their  posts,  they  were  to 
remain,  and,  if  needs  be,  die  there.  This  was  our 
Lord's  counsel  to  his  disciples,  and  his  own  conduct 
was  in  keeping  with  it.  He  saved  his  life  by  flight, 
till  the  interests  of  his  cause  demanded  the  surrender 
of  it,  and  then  lie  laid  it  down  without  resistance  and 
without  regret.  Many  a  bishop,  too,  in  the  primitive 
Church  did  the  same:  fleeing,  so  long  as  flight 
coidd  best  serve  their  Master's  cause;  but,  when  it 


PSALM   XI.  229 

demanded  the  surrender  of  their  lives,  giving  them- 
selves up  freely  to  martyrdom.     David,  too,   is  an 
example  of  a  good  man  pursuing,  at  different  times, 
two  directly  opposite  Hues  of  conduct:   but  pursuing 
each  with  the   same  definite  end   always  in  view, 
namely,  the  advancement  of  God's  kingdom  of  truth 
and  righteousness  in  the  earth.     For  years  after  he 
had  been  divinely  designated  to  the  throne  of  Israel, 
we  see  him  fleeing  before  his  persecutors,  like  a  ter- 
rified bird.     In  the  psalm  before  us,  however,  his 
affairs  are  no  longer  as  they  have  been.     The  time 
has  come  when  the  cause  with  which  he  has  identi- 
fied himself  can  no  longer  be  promoted  by  his  flight 
It  demands  champions  and  defenders,  and  it  may  be^ 
martyrs.     Hence,  to  those  counselling  flight  now,  he 
answers. 

Verse  1.     In  the  Lord  put  I  my  trust:  how  say  ye  to  my  soul, 
Flee  as  a  bird  to  your  mountain  ?  J  J  y  ^^^h 

This  reply  of  David  to  the  advice  of  timid  friends, 
or  designing  enemies,  reminds  one  of  Luther's  reply 
to  the  message,  that  he  would  proceed  to  the  Diet  of 
Worms  at  the  peril  of  his  life.     His  only  reply  to 
the   intimidating   message  was,    "If  there  were  as 
many  devils  in  Worms  as  there  are  tiles  upon  the 
roofs  of  Its  houses,  I  would  go  on."    Hitherto  Luther 
had  evaded  all  open  encounter  with  the  fierce  lion  of 
Rome;  but  now  the  time  had  arrived  when  he  felt 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  beard  him,  break  his  jaws, 
and  pluck  his  mangled  prey,  the  Church  of  the  living 
God,  out  of  his  mouth.     The  whole  Roman  world 
were  m  arms    against   him,    and   thirsting   for  his 
Wood;  but  ,in  the  name  of  God,  he  defied  them  all. 
He  asked  no  other  mountain  of  refuge,  and  would 


130  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

betake  himself  to  no  other.  David  occupied  a  simi- 
lar position,  and  manifests  a  similarly  determined 
spirit  in  the  words,  "In  the  Lord  put  I  my  trust: 
how  say  ye  to  my  soul,  Flee  as  a  bird  to  your  moun- 
tain'?" On  what  especial  occasion  David  felt  himself 
called  on  to  assume  this  bold  and  defiant  attitude,  we 
are  not  informed.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  know,  that 
he  assumed  it,  and  no  doubt  under  circumstances 
that  demanded  the  assumption.  He  feared  not  what 
man  could  do  unto  him,  and  would  resort  to  no 
devices  of  human  contrivance  for  relief  His  trust 
was  in  the  living  God;  and  the  exhortation  to  flee 
the  post  of  duty,  pierced  him  to  the  soul :  "  In  the 
Lord  put  I  my  trust."  I  know  that  I  am  fighting 
his  battles,  and  that  he  will  not  leave  me  to  fight 
them  alone.  Think  ye  that  he  who  has  God  for  his 
champion,  needs  any  other  defence  1 

Verse  2.  For,  lo,  the  wicked  bend  their  bow,  they  make  ready 
their  arrow  upon  the  string,  that  they  may  privily  shoot  at 
the  upright  in  heart. 

With  what  graphic  vividness  do  David's  timid 
friends,  or  designing  enemies,  here  describe  his 
danger  to  him !  They  hken  him  to  a  bird  flying  in 
the  open  plain,  while  on  every  side,  in  the  groves 
and  thickets  surrounding  that  plain,  archers  lie  con- 
cealed, with  bows  bent,  and  arrows  ready  upon  the 
string,  to  shoot  at  him ! — a  description  of  one's  danger 
well  calculated  to  fill  the  heart  with  fears  and  mis- 
givings. Most  men  have  courage  to  contend  with  a 
visible  and  tangible  foe;  few,  indeed,  with  an  invisi- 
ble and  intangible  one.  The  presence  of  such  a  foe 
on  every  side  had,  however,  no  terrors  for  David. 
Upright  in  heart  himself,  he  felt  assured  that  the 


PSALM   XI.  131 

upright  God  would  be  his  shield.  He  has  there- 
fore no  occasion  to  flee  the  open  plain  for  some 
mountain  fastness.  He  dreads  neither  the  open 
force  nor  the  undermining  cunning  of  the  enemies 
of  his  God.  Their  sharpest  arrows,  even  bitter  words 
uttered  in  secret,  may  fly  all  around  him,  and  darken 
the  air  over  him,  but  not  one  of  them  shall  touch 
him.  He  is  safe;  and  he  reveals  the  secret  of  his 
safety  in  the  words,  "in  the  Lord  put  I  my  trust,' 


55 


Verse  3.     If  the  foundations  be  destroyed,  what  can  the  right- 
eous do? 

It  is  here  sought  to  operate  still  farther  upon 
David's  fears;  all  is  represented  as  lost  beyond  re- 
covery; that  the  foundations  of  society  are  destroyed; 
that  truth  and  justice  have  ceased  to  govern  the 
actions  of  men.  How  often  has  this  anarchy  of 
affairs  been  realized  in  the  history  of  the  world;  law 
and  order  trodden  under  foot,  and  violence  reigning 
supreme  in  their  stead!  And  how  often  is  this  state 
of  affairs  urged  upon  the  good  man  as  a  sufficient 
reason  for  his  deserting  his  post!  The  cry  is,  "All  is 
anarchy — what  can  the  righteous  man  do'?  Unsup- 
ported and  alone,  what  can  he  do  to  stem  and  turn 
back  the  tide  of  wickedness  rising  and  raging  every- 
where around  himf  What  can  he  do"?  Let  the 
effect  of  Luther's  speech  before  the  Diet  at  Worms 
answer  the  question.  Acknowledging  all  his  writ- 
ings, and  confronting  the  greatest  and  mightiest  of 
the  whole  earth,  he  concluded  his  speech  to  them  in 
the  following  words :  "  Let  me  then  be  refuted  and 
convinced  by  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures,  or  by 
the  clearest  arguments,  otherwise  I  cannot  and  will 


132  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

not  retract;  for  it  is  neither  safe  nor  expedient  to 
act  against  conscience.  Here  I  take  my  stand;  I 
can  do  no  otherwise,  so  help  me  God!  Amen." 
Luther's  was  but  a  single  voice  against  the  world; 
but  how  its  tones  rung  through  the  earth,  startling 
the  nations  from  Home  to  the  Orkneys.  It  was  a 
single  voice,  saying,  authoritatively,  to  the  usurpa- 
tions of  the  great  Antichrist,  "  Here  shall  thy  proud 
waves  be  stayed!"  The  inundations  of  wickedness, 
surging  and  dashing  over  the  earth,  began  imme- 
diately to  recede.  How  often,  too,  in  many  a  church, 
and  in  many  a  community,  and  in  many  a  country, 
is  a  similar  effect  produced  by  a  single  voice!  All  is 
anarchy,  all  lawless  violence,  and  good  men  in  de- 
spair, till  some  one  fearless  spirit  confronts,  rebukes, 
and  defies  wickedness  in  power — mounts  the  whirl- 
wind and  directs  the  storm,  and  brings  it  down  in 
due  time  upon  those  who  raised  it.  It  matters  not 
how  entirely  the  foundations  of  society  may  be  de- 
stroyed, truth  and  justice  trodden  under  foot,  he  who 
undertakes  its  reformation  by  taking  counsel,  not  of 
his  fears,  but  of  truth  and  right,  will  in  the  end  suc- 
ceed"? If  he  can  say,  "in  the  Lord  put  I  my  trust," 
he  can  smile  at,  as  he  certainly  should  spurn,  all  sug- 
gestions of  flight  when  the  hour  for  decisive  and 
definitive  action  has  come.  For  such  a  man  to  flee 
his  post  at  such  a  time,  would  be  virtually  denying 
the  existence  of  a  righteous  God. 

Verse  4.  The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple,  the  Lord's  throne  is 
in  heaven:  his  eyes  behold,  his  eye-lids  try,  the  children 
of  men. 

David  here  recurs  to  the  sentiment  expressed  in 

the  first  words  of  the  psalm,  "in  the  Lord  put  I  my 


PSALM    XI.  133 

tmst;"  only  here  he  expands  the  sentiment,  and 
shows  why  he  should  trust  in  the  Lord.  "  The  Lord 
is  in  his  holy  temple;"  he  is  evermore  in  his  Church 
to  protect  and  perpetuate  the  religion  he  has  revealed 
to  it ;  dwelling  therein  hy  his  word  and  Spirit,  and 
so  taking  up  his  abode  in  the  hearts  of  some,  that  he 
shall  never  want  a  seed  to  serve  him.  He  may 
sometimes  leave  his  Church  to  he  tossed,  and  agi- 
tated, and  sifted,  hut  he  will  never  altogether  forsake 
it,  but  still  carry  it  on,  after  every  reverse,  to  new 
victories.  It  was  his  conviction  of  this  truth  that 
led  David  so  vehemently  to  repudiate  the  advice 
given  him  to  flee.  As  God  is  evermore  in  his  holy 
temple,  his  Church,  he  felt  assured  that  He  Avould 
defend  all  those  whom  he  had  called  to  defend  it. 
"  The  Lord's  throne  is  in  heaven:"  here  David  gives 
us  another  reason  why  he  should  not  flee,  why  he 
should  not  cease  to  reprove  error,  and  bear  testimony 
to  the  truth — his  Defender's  throne  is  in  heaven,  far 
above  the  reach  and  malice  of  men.  The  wicked 
may  assail  and  overturn  human  thrones,  but  there  is 
one  throne  whose  stability  they  can  never  afi'ect — 
God's  throne  in  heaven.  All  things  else  may  reel, 
and  totter,  and  fall,  but  that  remains  unmoved.  And 
upon  that  immovable  throne  David  here  fastens  the 
eye  of  his  faith,  knowing  that  whenever  there  shall 
issue  thence  the  voice,  "Peace,  be  still!"  the  moral 
and  social  anarchy  raging  around  him  will  subside, 
and  a  great  calm  ensue.  He  knows  too,  that  even 
while  the  storm  is  raging  in  its  fury,  it  cannot  over- 
whelm him  till  the  occupant  of  that  throne  give  the 
word.  And  he  is  quite  sure  that  that  word  will  not 
be  given  till  he  has  fulfilled  his  earthly  mission, 
12 


134  LECTURES    ON   THE   PSALMS. 

whatever  that  mission  may  be.  This,  too,  seems  to 
have  been  the  thought  in  the  mind  of  the  Saviour, 
when,  in  reply  to  the  message  of  the  Pharisees,  "  Get 
thee  out,  and  depart  hence;  for  Ilcrodwill  kill  thee," 
he  answered,  "Go  ye  and  tell  that  fox,  I  cast  out 
devils,  and  I  do  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the 
third  day  I  shall  be  perfected:  nevertheless,  I  must 
walk  to-day,  and  to-morrow,  and  the  day  following." 
Luke  xiii.  31-33.  He  knew  that  he  was  safe  so 
long  as  any  part  of  his  mission  remained  to  be  ful- 
filled, whoever  might  hate  him,  and  whoever  might 
seek  his  life.  Such  is  the  confidence  inspired  by 
faith  in  Him  whose  throne  is  in  heaven,  whose  king- 
dom ruleth  over  all,  and  who  sufFereth  not  even  a 
sparrow  to  perish  without  his  permission.  His  eyes 
behold,  his  eyelids  try  the  children  of  men.  He  is 
not  an  indifferent  spectator  of  human  conduct;  on 
the  contrary,  his  eye  is  fixed  upon  it  with  a  scrutiny 
so  intense,  and  a  vision  so  piercing,  that  nothing  can 
escape  him.  He  sees  our  thoughts,  beholds  them 
afar  off,  even  while  they  are  as  yet  but  just  emerg- 
ing above  the  horizon  of  our  own  consciousness.  To 
the  terror  of  the  one,  and  the  comfort  of  the  other, 
he  beholds  everywhere  the  evil  and  the  good. 

Verse  5.     The  Lord  trieth  the  righteous:  but  the  wicked,  and 
him  that  loveth  violence,  his  soul  hateth. 

"The  Lord  trieth  the  righteous;"  he  tries  them  for 
their  own  good,  that  they  may  know  themselves. 
He  tries  them  for  the  good  of  others,  that  the  world 
may  learn  how  powerful  a  thing  faith  in  God  is, 
when  it  has  once  laid  fast  hold  of  his  promises.  It 
was  for  this  purpose  that  he  tested  Abraham,  when 
he  commanded  him  to  offer  up  his  son  Isaac,  with 


PSALM   XI.  135 

his  own  hand,  a  burnt-offering  unto  the  Lord.  The 
trial  taught  Abraham  what  he  could  never  have 
knowai  of  himself  without  it — the  character  of  true 
evangelical  obedience ;  that  it  falters  at  no  sacrifice 
known  to  be  required  by  the  will  of  God.  It  is 
these  testing  trials  of  the  righteous  that  bring  out 
their  graces,  develop  and  perfect  their  virtues.  The 
hand  of  God  is  in  them  all,  seeking  higher  praise  for 
himself,  and  working  out  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory  for  the  believer.  "  The  Lord 
trieth  the  righteous;"  only,  however,  to  consume  their 
dross  and  refine  their  gold.  The  wicked  have  no 
just  cause  for  triumphing  over  him,  when  they  see 
the  righteous  man  in  affliction.  The  hand  of  God  is 
thus  upon  him  only  for  his  good.  His  trials  are  no 
evidence  that  the  fact  is  otherwise.  And,  on  the 
other  hand,  let  not  the  wicked  man  suppose  that  his 
prosperity  is  evidence  that  God  approves  him,  or  his 
ways.  "The  wicked,  and  him  that  loveth  violence, 
his  soul  hateth."  His  whole  nature  revolts  alike  at 
their  characters  and  their  conduct.  He  abhors  them 
none  the  less,  because  he  does  not  overwhelm  them 
at  once.  In  this  way  David  encourages  himself  and 
all  other  believers  in  the  Lord,  teaching  that  the 
trials  of  the  righteous  are  only  for  their  good,  the 
prosperity  of  the  wicked  by  no  means  indicative  of 
the  Divine  approbation,  and  that,  consequently,  the 
former  will  in  due  time  be  delivered,  and  the  latter 
overthrown.  He  describes  the  overthrow  of  the 
latter  in  the  verse  following,  saying, 

Verse  6.    Upon  the  wicked  he  shall  rain  snares,  fire  and  brimstone, 
and  an  horrible  tempest:  this  shall  be  the  portion  of  their  cup. 

The  allusion  here  is  undoubtedly  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  fire  descending  from 


136  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

above,  and  rising  np  from  beneath,  to  consume  them. 
Gen.  xix.  24,  25.  The  wicked  lay  snares  for  the 
righteous;  upon  the  wicked  themselves  God  rains 
snares,  showers  them  down  upon  them  as  if  the 
heavens  were  full  of  them.  God  rains  snares  upon 
the  wicked  when  he  overwhelms  them  by  'the  order- 
ings  of  his  providence.  They  may  for  a  long  time 
have  had  things  their  own  way;  a  single  reverse, 
however,  comes  at  last — why,  or  how,  they  cannot 
tell — but  followed  so  quickly  and  rapidly  by  others, 
that  they  soon  feel  themselves  safe  nowhere;  that 
flight  is  impossible,  resistance  vain,  and  destruction 
inevitable.  It  is  always  so  with  the  wicked  when 
God  at  length  pours  out  his  judgments  upon  them. 
Amos  ix.  1.  They  cannot  move  but  they  find  them- 
selves in  still  another  snare  of  the  infinite  net  of 
snares  cast  abroad  for  them  by  the  hand  of  God. 
"  Upon  the  wicked  he  shall  rain  fire  and  brimstone." 
The  Hebrew  words  here  translated  jire  and  hrim- 
stotie,  do  not  indicate  a  fire  that  merely  flashes  its 
heat  upon  us,  like  the  lightning's  blaze,  and  then 
passes  away,  but  a  molten,  liquid,  and  adhesive  fire; 
such  a  fire  as  that  afforded  by  burning  pitch,  being 
at  the  same  time  both  fuel  and  flame — a  flame  that 
sticks  and  clings  to  one  like  his  very  flesh,  and  as  if 
it  were  a  part  of  it.  And  what  else  than  such  a 
sticking,  clinging,  and  adhesive  fire,  at  last,  is  the 
lust  of  the  debauchee  and  wanton,  the  appetite  of 
the  inebriate,  the  cravings  of  the  glutton,  and  the 
temper  of  the  impetuous  and  vindictive  man'?  The 
fire  that  consumes  all  such,  sticks  and  adheres  to 
them  like  burning  pitch.  The  lust,  the  appetite, 
and  the  irritable  temper,  are  each,  in  itself,  both  fuel 


PSALM  xr.  137 

and  flame.  And  when  at  length  Divine  wrath,  fire 
from  above,  shall  mingle,  as  it  did  with  the  bitmnen 
of  the  cities  of  the  plain,  with  the  self-fed  and  self- 
sustained  flame  in  the  sinner's  own  body  and  soul, 
how  intense  and  insuff'erable  must  the  heat  become! 
Upon  the  wicked  he  shall  rain  an  horrible  tempest; 
a  tempest  of  horrors,  a  wrath-wind !  The  allusion  is 
to  the  pestiferous  simoom  of  Arabia — beautiful  in  its 
approach,  tinting  the  air  along  its  course  with  the 
hues  of  the  rainbow,  but  leaving  behind  it  not  a 
living  creature  in  whose  face  it  has  breathed!  A 
wrath-wind  and  tempest  of  horrors  indeed!  And 
yet,  fearful  as  it  is,  it  only  shadows  forth  the  tempest 
of  remorseful  terrors  that  sometimes  sweeps  through 
the  guilty  soul  in  the  dying  hour.  It  is  needless  to 
tell  the  man  so  dying,  the  man  whose  conscience 
God  has  armed  with  something  of  the  retributive 
power  that  it  possesses  in  the  world  to  come,  what 
is  meant  by  an  horrible  tempest.  He  feels  it  in  his 
soul  as  no  language  can  describe  it.  "Upon  the 
wicked  he  shall  rain  snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and 
an  horrible  tempest;  this  shall  be  the  portion  of 
their  cup." 

Verse  7.      For   the  righteous   Lord  loveth  righteousness;    his 
countenance  doth  behold  the  upright. 

Here  is  the  secret,  the  source  and  spring  of  all  of 
God's  dealings  with  man — his  love  of  righteousness. 
It  is  the  source  of  all  his  judgments  upon  the  .wicked, 
and  of  all  his  blessings  upon  the  righteous.  He 
cannot  treat  the  two  otherwise  than  he  does,  without 
contradicting  his  very  nature.  Righteousness  is  the 
essence  of  his  being ;  the  attribute  that  governs  every 
other  attribute  of  his  infinite  nature.  It  controls  his 
12* 


138  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

power,  his  love,  and  his  will.     Our  only  safety  then, 
is  to  identify  ourselves  with  him  in  righteousness : 
to  adopt  his  cause  as  our  own,  and  to  reckon  no 
sacrifice  too  great  to  be  made,  that  will  promote  it. 
It  was  to  promote  the  cause  of  righteousness  in  the 
earth,  that  his  own  Son  descended  to  earth,  laboured, 
suiFered,  and  died.     AVe  are  to  make  him  our  Exem- 
plar.   He  never,  in  anything  he  did,  calculated  its  con- 
sequences to  himself,  but  only  to  the  cause  he  hatl 
espoused.     We  are  to  do  the  same.     "We  are  not  to 
consult  what  will  be  most  agreeable  to  our  feelings,  nor 
what  will  be  most  for  our  temporal  interests,  but  how 
we  can  best  serve  the  cause  of  truth  and  right  in  the 
church  or  community  in  which  God  has  cast  our  lot. 
Nor  is  there  any  member  of  any  church  or  commu- 
nity to  which  this  responsibility  does  not  attach.     It 
attaches  to  every  one:  to  the  servant,  as  well  as  to  the 
master;  to  the  man  under  authority,  as  well  as  to 
the   man   in  authority.     All  are  equally  bound  to 
identify  themselves  and  all  that  they  have  with  the 
cause  of  righteousness,  to  the  maintenance  of  true 
religion  and  virtue,  and  the  punishment  of  wicked- 
ness and  vice ;  and  to  that  end,  all  are  equally  bound 
to  seek  a  personal  interest  in  the  atoning  blood  of 
Him  through  whom  alone  we  can  be  nghteous  in  the 
sight   of  God.     All  who  fail  to    become  righteous 
through  faith  in  him,  and  to  live  for  the  cause  for 
which  he  lived,  and  laboured,  and  suffered,  and  died, 
will  at  last  be  among  those  upon  whom  the  Lord  will 
rain  snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and  an  horrible  tem- 
pest.  May  God,  of  his  infinite  mercy  in  Jesus  Christ, 
give  us  all  grace  to  love  riglitcousness  as  he  loves  it, 
and  to  seek  its  universal  prevalence  as  earnestly ! 


PSALM    XII.  139 


LECTURE  ON  rSALM  XII. 

On  what  occasion  David  wrote  this  psalm  cannot  be 
determined.  It  describes  a  state  of  public  morals 
well  calculated  to  fill  the  heart  of  the  patriot  and 
believer  with  grief  and  sad  forebodings:  good  men 
and  true  everywhere  disappearing,  and  those  who 
would  carry  everything  by  bold  and  reckless,  or  spe- 
cious and  flattering  speech,  occupying  their  places. 
Truth  and  fidelity  seemed  for  the  time  to  be  dis- 
placed by  falsehood  and  treachery.  AVitli  this  con- 
viction oppressing  his  heart,  David  opens  the  twelfth 
psalm  with  the  impassioned  cry. 

Verse  1.     Help,  Lord;  fur  the  godly  man  ceasetli;  for  the  fliith- 
ful  fail  from  among  the  cliildren  of  men. 

To  one  reflecting  that  God's  kingdom  of  truth  and 
righteousness  in  the  earth  is  to  be  maintained 
through  human  agencies,  it  is  a  saddening  sight  to 
see  one  after  another  of  its  champions  and  defenders 
disappearing  from  the  conflict.  The  sight  often 
smites  the  heart  of  the  survivor,  as  it  would  have 
smitten  the  heart  of  the  Israelite  to  have  seen  David 
fall  in  his  combat  with  Goliath.  Few  indeed  are  the 
communities,  whether  civil  or  ecclesiastical,  whose 
histories  do  not  exhibit  epochs  and  crises  in  which 
their  whole  future  well-being  seemed  to  depend  upon 
the  life  of  a  single  man,  or,  at  most,  upon  the  lives 
of  a  very  small  band.  And  when  such  men  fall  in 
the  conflict,  or  depart  hence  in  the  course  of  nature, 
good  men  feel  that  society  has  suflered  a  loss  that 
cannot  be   easily  repaired.      But   how   much  more 


140  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

severely  is  the  blow  felt  when  the  champions  of  a 
cause  are  lost  to  it,  not  by  death,  but  by  turning 
traitors:  when  a  Judas  betrays  the  Church,  and  an 
Arnold  the  State.  Now  it  is  in  this  latter  sense  that 
we  are  to  understand  David's  words,  "  the  godly  man 
ceaseth ;  the  faithful  fail  from  among  the  children  of 
men."  It  was  not  by  the  sword  of  an  enemy,  nor  by 
natural  death,  that  they  had  been  lost  to  the  cause  of 
law  and  order,  truth  and  right,  but  by  betraying  it 
and  fighting  against  it.  David's  own  son,  and  sub- 
jects, and  generals,  and  ministers,  had  conspired  to 
overthrow  the  cause  they  had  sworn  to  defend:  and 
thus  situated,  he  appeals  to  the  only  power  that  can 
now  avail  him,  saying,  "Help,  Lord;"  man  has  failed 
me:  thou  alone  canst  now  deliver:  for. 

Verse  2.     They  speak  vanity  every  one  witli  his  neighbour:  with 
flattering  lips  and  with  a  double  heart  do  they  speak. 

Confidence  in  each  other's  word,  the  belief  that 
men  speak  their  real  sentiments,  and  will  realize 
them  in  their  actions,  is  the  great  bond  of  human 
society.  Society  cannot  exist  without  such  confi- 
dence and  belief  as  the  general  sentiment.  Wher- 
ever these  are  wanting  as  the  general  sentiment, 
society  is  not  a  cemented  union,  but  only  an  aggre- 
gation and  juxtaposition  of  individuals.  And  this 
is  the  state  of  society  described  in  the  words,  "they 
speak  vanity,  falsehood,  lies,  every  one  with  his 
neighbour:  with  flattering  lips  and  a  double  heart 
do  they  speak."  There  is  an  utter  want  of  sin- 
cerity in  their  words,  having  its  origin  in  universal 
suspicion  and  distrust.  Believing  that  they  will  not 
have  the  truth  spoken  to  them,  they  do  not  speak  it 
to  others:  they  flatter   the  powerful,  that  they  may 


PSALM   XII.  141 

secure  their  favour;  the  weak,  that  they  may  use 
them.  All  is  clone,  however,  with  a  double-heart,  to 
deceive:  all  their  fine  speeches  to  each  other  are 
secretly  intended  to  promote  only  the  interests  of  the 
speaker,  and  this  every  one  of  them  knows  and  feels. 
80  it  is:  such  is  a  part  of  the  curse  of  wickedness,  it 
has  no  confidence  in  itself,  and  thinks  it  can  succeed 
only  by  falsehood  and  deceit.  Hence,  to  promote 
their  own  ends,  the  wicked  often  flatter,  where  they 
despise;  and  profess  confidence,  where  they  feel 
nothing  but  distrust.  This  has  been  signally  verified 
in  the  conduct  of  eminent  infidels,  fulsomely  flatter- 
ing one  another  by  letter,  and  face  to  face,  but  in 
their  words  and  letters  to  others,  expressing  unmiti- 
gated distrust  and  contempt.  And  what  we  find  so 
largely  exhibited  in  the  conduct  of  infidels,  every 
one  of  us  will  find  more  or  less  of,  in  our  own  hearts 
and  lives.  There  is  a  great  deal  more  duplicity  and 
double  dealing  in  our  intercourse  with  each  other 
than  we  imagine,  till  we  compare  our  every  word 
with  the  standard  of  truth  and  the  real  feelings  of  our 
hearts  at  the  time.  There  is  more  need  to  us  all, 
than  many  of  us  imagine,  of  the  Divine  exhortation, 
"  Putting  away  lying,  speak  every  man  truth  with 
his  neighbour."  Eph.  iv.  25. 

Verses  3,  4.  The  Lord  shall  cut  off  all  flattering  lips,  and  the 
tongue  that  speaketh  proud  things:  v/ho  have  said,  With 
our  tongue  will  wc  prevail;  our  lips  are  our  own:  who  is 
lord  over  us? 

The  language  of  agitators,  of  men  who  think  to 
carry  everything  by  free  speech,  a  free  press,  and  a 
free  pulpit!  God  forbid  that  we  should  ever  see  the 
day  when  either  of  these  three  great  agencies  for 


142  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

enlightening,  exciting,  and  directing  human  thought, 
shall  not  be  free.  They  are  the  earthly  trinity  that 
preside  over  all  that  can  be  dear  to  us  as  American 
citizens  and  American  Christians.  However  much 
they  may  be  abused,  they  are  still  the  chief  glory  of 
our  country.  It  is  not  to  be  denied,  however,  that 
they  are  abused.  Instead  of  being  used  only  for  the 
defence  of  truth  and  right,  they  are  often  prostituted 
to  stirring  up  the  most  fearful  passions  that  can  agi- 
tate the  human  breast;  to  arraying  brother  against 
brother,  citizen  against  citizen,  section  against  section, 
and  church  against  church.  You  may  remonstrate 
with  the  men  so  engaged,  but  the  only  answer  you 
can  obtain  from  them  is  likely  to  be,  "With  our 
tongue  will  we  prevail;  our  lips  are  our  own:  who 
is  lord  over  usf  They  act  as  if  freedom  of  speech 
implied  the  right  to  say  whatever  fancy  may  dictate, 
when  it  may  dictate,  where  it  may  dictate,  and  as  it 
may  dictate.  Hence  the  recklessness  with  which  not 
only  opinions,  but  character  and  motives  are  assailed. 
The  right  of  free  discussion  is  often  indulged  by  its 
advocates,  till  they  seem  to  have  forgotten  that  men 
have  any  other  rights.  Nor  is  this  lawlessness  of 
tongue  confined  to  partizan  leaders  and  to  those  in 
authority;  it  pervades  and  embitters  private  life. 
We  meet,  in  every  walk  of  society,  persons  who 
pride  themselves  on  their  fearlessness  of  speech,  and 
who,  in  sheer  wantonness,  inflict  wounds  upon  the 
characters  and  feelings  of  others,  that  time  can  never 
heal.  They  forget  that  there  are  words  worse  than 
blows,  and  insinuations  to  which  death  would  be  a 
kindness.  Still,  they  pride  themselves  upon  their 
outspokenness  as  a  virtue.     A  virtue !    Heaven  save 


PSALM   XII.  143 

US  from  all  such  virtue,  and  the  virtuous  impulses  of 
all  such  characters.  Virtuous  as  they  may  fancy 
themselves,  because  of  their  candour,  they  come 
under  the  condemnation  of  this  psalm.  "  The  Lord 
shall  cut  off  all  flattering  lips,  and  the  tongue  that 
speaketh  proud  things:"  they  who  use  their  tongues 
to  the  injury  of  others  shall  in  due  time  receive  their 
reward.  There  is  a  God  of  truth  and  justice,  who 
hears  their  words.  He  abominates  alike  their  flat- 
tery, and  their  abuse  of  others;  sees  what  was  spoken 
with  a  desire  to  do  good,  and  what  with  a  purpose  to 
do  evil;  what  proceeded  from  the  wisdom  which  is 
from  above,  and  what  from  a  heart  actuated  only  by 
its  own  likes  and  dislikes,  preferences  and  aversions. 
God  is  not  an  indifferent  listener  to  what  men  say. 

Verse  5.  For  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  for  the  sighing  of  the 
needy,  now  will  I  arise,  saith  the  Lord :  I  will  set  him  in 
safety  from  him  that  puiFcth  at  him.  [Or,  I  will  set  him  in 
safety  who  sigheth  after  it.] 

We  are  apt  to  think  lightly  of  wrongs  inflicted  by 
the  tongue.  It  is  otherwise  with  Him  who  sees 
their  evil  effect.  He  sees  how  they  oppress  the  poor, 
and  extort  sighs  from  the  needy;  not  specially  the 
world's  poor  and  needy,  but  the  Lord's  poor  and 
needy ;  those  of  an  humble  and  contrite  spirit,  whom, 
because  neither  their  feelings  nor  their  principles 
allow  them  to  avenge  themselves,  the  world  assail, 
because  they  can  assail  them  with  impunity;  prefer 
charges,  impute  motives,  and  insinuate  suspicions, 
because  they  can  do  so  without  being  called  to 
account  for  it.  How  often  do  the  wicked  speak  of 
believers  as  they  would  not  dare  to  speak  of  each 
other.     The  believer,  however,  is  not  so  helpless  as 


144  LECTURES  OX  THE  PSALMS. 

the  world  think  him  to  be.  There  is  at  least  one 
Being  who  never  ceases  to  regard  his  wrongs — the 
Almighty  Because  of  the  oppression  of  the  poor, 
because  of  the  sighing  of  the  needy,  now  will  I  arise, 
saith  the  Lord:  I  will  establish  him  in  safety  who 
sigheth  after  it.  Safety  is  what  David  sighed  after  in 
the  very  first  word  of  the  psalm ;  and  safety  is  here 
promised  him  in  the  same  Hebrew  word  repeated. 
The  Lord  establishes  the  believer  in  safety,  some- 
times by  silencing  for  ever  the  tongues  that  would 
ruin  him;  sometimes  by  making  their  flattery  or 
abuse  so  gross  and  palpable  as  to  deprive  them  of  all 
power  to  injure;  and  sometimes  by  so  strengthening 
the  integrity  of  the  believer,  that  no  smooth  words 
can  undermine  it,  and  so  bringing  it  out  to  the  light 
that  no  harsh  words  can  obscure  it.  God  is  not  an 
indifferent  spectator  of  the  assaults  made  upon  the 
integrity,  character,  or  feelings  of  those  hoping  in  his 
mercy.  For  all  those  sighing  after  safety  from  the 
tongue  of  flattery  or  abuse,  he  will,  sooner  or  later, 
silence  in  some  way  every  tongue  that  would  either 
drive  or  decoy  them  from  the  path  of  duty;  for. 

Verse  6.     The  words  of  the  Lord  are  pure  words;  as  silver  tried 
in  a  furnace  of  earth,  purified  seven  times. 

Here  is  a  contrast  instituted  between  the  words  of 
God  and  the  words  of  man.  IMan's  words  may  de- 
ceive and  disappoint,  but  the  Lord's  will  not,  "  Hath 
he  spoken,  and  shall  he  not  do  if?  or  hath  he  said, 
and  shall  he  not  make  it  good'?"  No  word  of  his 
has  ever  been  tried,  and  not  found  true;  and  no  pro- 
mise of  his  believed,  and  not  made  good.  However 
severely  tested,  every  saying  of  his  comes  out  at  last 
bright  and  clear.     The  infidel  has  tried  the  Divine 


PSALM  xn.  145 

sayings  in  his  crucible,  and  tliey  have  stood  the  fires 
of  even  his  furnace.  The  Christian  too  has  tried 
them  in  the  furnace  of  affliction,  and  tlie  fiercer  the 
fires  burned,  the  brighter  the  sayings  shone.  He 
has  come  forth  from  every  trial  of  the  Divine  faith- 
fulness, proclaiming  with  increased  fervour,  "His 
promise  is  for  ever  sure."  It  was  thus  that  Joshua 
spoke  of  the  Divine  faithfulness  to  the  Israelites, 
saying  to  them,  "  Ye  know  in  all  your  hearts,  and  in 
all  your  souls,  that  not  one  thing  hath  failed  of  all  the 
good  things  that  the  Lord  your  God  spake  concern- 
ing you:  all  are  come  to  pass  unto  you,  and  not  one 
thmg  hath  failed  thereof"  Josh,  xxiii.  14.  In  view 
of  such  faithfulness  on  the  part  of  his  God,  in  the 
fulfilment  of  his  every  promise  to  his  people,  David 
is  fully  justified  in  adding: 

Verse  7.     Thou  slialt  keep  them,  0  Lord,  thou  shalt  preserve 
them  from  this  generation  for  ever. 

However  false,  deceitful,  selfish,  and  overreaching 
the  generation  was  that  David  has  been  describing, 
he  assures  those  trusting  in  his  mercy,  and  striving 
to  walk  blamelessly,  that  the  Lord  will  keep  and 
preserve  them  unharmed  in  the  midst  of  it  all.  It 
was  thus  that  he  preserved  Noah  in  his  generation, 
Lot  in  Sodom,  and  Daniel  in  the  court  at  Babylon. 
In  the  midst  of  the  most  wicked  community,  God 
will  preserve  uncorrupted  those  who  seek  his  face 
and  favour,  and  endure  as  seeing  him  who  is  invisi- 
ble. He  will  so  operate  upon  their  hearts,  or  upon 
the  hearts  of  others,  or  so  order  the  events  of  his 
providence,  that  they  shall  pass  unscathed  by  the 
wickedness  which  consumes  all  around  them.  We 
are,  then,  not  to  seek  safety  in  flight  from  the  posi- 
13 


146  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

tion  in  which  God  has  placed  us  by  his  providence, 
but,  by  faith  and  prayer,  submitting  ourselves  to  his 
protection  and  guidance. 

Verse  8.     The  wicked  walk  on  every  side,  when  the  vilest  men 
are  exalted. 

In  this  last  verse  David  gives  us  both  the  effect 
and  the  cause  of  the  wickedness  of  the  times,  namely, 
the  elevation  of  unworthy  men  to  places  of  power 
and  authority.  Having  obtained  their  places  by 
falsehood  and  corruption,  they  surround  themselves 
with  men  of  the  same  character,  and  generally  as  the 
reward  for  their  mendacity  in  serving  them.  It  is 
humiliating  and  alarming  to  witness  the  extent  to 
which  this  order  of  things  is  carried.  The  purest 
are  assailed  with  the  same  unrelenting  recklessness 
of  assertion  and  fabrication.  The  question  with  the 
partisan,  in  both  Church  and  State,  is  not,  Wliat  only 
can  I  say  of  my  opponent  and  his  cause  that  is  just 
and  true'?  but,  What  can  I  say  of  them,  that  will 
injure  them  mosf?"  The  consequence  of  this  dis- 
regard of  truth  is,  that  good  men  will  not  offer  for 
places  which  good  men  alone  should  fill,  and,  as  a 
thing  in  course,  power  and  authority  fall  too  often 
into  the  hands  of  those  who  will  use  them  to  pro- 
mote only  their  own  selfish  aims.  It  must  be  acknow- 
ledged, however,  that  the  people  themselves  are  in  a 
great  measure  responsible  for  this  deplorable  state  of 
morals.  We  are  not  sufficiently  regardful  of  the 
moral  character  of  those  whom  we  elect  to  make,  in- 
terpret, and  execute  our  laws.  W^e  act  upon  the 
absurdity  of  supposing  that  a  man  may  be  false  to 
his  God,  and  still  true  to  us;  habitually  violate  the 
Divine,  and  still  be  obedient  to  human  law.     It  is 


PSALM    XIII.  147 

true  that  perfect  men  cannot  be  found  anywhere  on 
earth,  in  Church  or  State;  still,  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  we  should  elevate  to  positions  of  trust  and  power 
only  men  who  have  the  fewest  imperfections.  Nor 
can  it  be  denied  that  we  should  look  still  more  scru- 
tinizing to  our  own  characters  than  to  the  characters 
of  our  rulers.  It  is  our  duty  to  cultivate  an  uncom- 
promising adherence  to  truth  both  in  our  words  and 
actions.  We  may  have  the  power  to  say  what  we 
please,  but  we  have  no  right  to  say  anything  to 
another's  injury.  However  much  we  may  boast  of 
our  freedom  of  speech,  saying  "■  our  lips  are  our  own," 
and  demanding  "who  is  lord  over  us"?"  there  is,  never- 
theless, a  Lord  over  us,  even  the  Lord  God  of  truth, 
who  requires  his  creatures  to  be  truthful,  even  as 
he  is  truthful.  And  this  flxct  should  lead  us  all  to 
seek  to  be  renewed  in  the  temper  of  our  minds  by 
the  Divine  Spirit  of  truth,  purchased  for  us  by  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and,  through  his  intercession, 
vouchsafed  to  all  who  seek  its  influences. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XIIL 

There  are  times  in  the  believer's  experience  when 
God  seems  to  him  to  have  forgotten  him;  when, 
though  a  child  of  the  light,  he  walks  in  darkness — 
and  that,  too,  while  endeavouring  to  approve  his 
every  act  and  thought  to  Him  who  searches  the 
heart.  It  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  his  grace  that 
God  should  so  deal  with  those  hoping  in  his  mercy, 
and  walking  according  to  his  laws.    David  complains 


148  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

elsewhere,  "Lord,  why  castest  thou  oiF  my  soul"? 
why  hidest  thou  thy  face  from  meT'  Ps.  Ixxxviii.  14. 
Job  says,  "  O  that  I  were  as  in  months  past,  as  in 
the  days  when  God  preserved  me ;  when  his  candle 
shone  upon  my  head,  and  when  by  his  light  I  walked 
through  darkness."  Job  xxix.  2,  3.  Isaiah  intimates 
the  same  idea  of  desertion,  saying,  "Who  is  among 
you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the  voice  of 
liis  servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath  no 
light '?  let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
stay  upon  his  God."  Isa.  1.  10.  So  also  Jeremiah 
complains:  "I  am  the  man  that  hath  seen  affliction 
by  the  rod  of  his  wrath.  He  hath  led  me,  and 
brought  me  into  darkness,  but  not  into  light."  Lam. 
iii.  1,  2.  The  believer  who,  when  in  spiritual  dark- 
ness, thinks  that  his  trials  are  peculiar,  and  says, 
"Behold,  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  mito 
my  sorrow,  which  is  done  unto  me,  wherewith  the 
Lord  hath  afflicted  me,"  (Lam.  i.  12,)  may  learn,  in 
the  Scriptures  here  recited,  that  holy  prophets  were 
tried  in  the  same  way  thousands  of  years  ago.  What 
particular  spiritual  grief  pressed  so  heavily  upon 
David's  heart  at  the  time  he  wrote  this  psalm,  he 
does  not  tell  us.  His  words,  therefore,  are  applicable 
to  any  spiritual  desertion  that  the  believer  may  ex- 
perience. And  where  is  the  earnest  believer  who 
has  not  experienced  some  spiritual  sorrow  so  intense, 
and  so  long-continued,  as  to  force  him  to  cry  out, 

Verses  1,  2.  How  long  wilt  thou  forget  me,  0  Lord?  for  ever? 
how  long  wilt  thou  hide  thy  fiice  from  me?  how  long  shall 
1  take  counsel  in  my  soul,  haA'ing  sorrow  in  my  heart  daily  ? 
how  long  shall  mine  enemy  be  exalted  over  me? 

This  four  times  repeated  "how  long'?"  and  once 
with  the  addition  "for  everf  indicates  an  intensity 
of  feeling  that  can  be  expressed  in  no  other  words. 


PSALM    XIII.  149 

The  believer  finds  no  other  suffering  so  hard  to  bear, 
as  he  does  the  suffering  caused  by  the  loss  of  sensible 
communion  with  God;  the  loss  of  the  feeling  that 
God  is  with  him  by  his  sustaining  and  cheering  pre- 
sence in  his  soul.  O  what  a  thought!  .that  God  has 
forgotten  him,  and  turned  his  face  away  from  him  in 
anger !  It  is  this  that  brings  the  believer  to  his  wit's 
end — to  taking  counsel  in  his  soul  what  he  shall 
do  to  escape,  what  he  shall  do  to  regain  what  he  has 
lost ;  and  to  having  sorrow  in  his  heart  daily,  because 
every  means  used  for  obtaining  relief  fails  of  it,  leav- 
ing him  still  under  a  cloud  and  in  the  dark.  Nothing 
that  he  can  do  gives  him  a  moment's  abatement  of 
his  distress.  David,  too,  seems  to  have  had  some 
particular  enemy  whom  he  specially  dreaded.  "  How 
long  shall  mine  enemy  be  exalted  over  me"?"  This 
enemy  may  have  been  Saul,  of  whom  David  had 
often  thought  in  his  heart,  "I  shall  surely  perish 
one  day  by  the  hand  of  Saul."  1  Sam.  xxvii.  1.  And 
who  of  us  have  not,  besides  our  spiritual  sorrows, 
besides  our  days  and  nights  of  distracted  thoughts 
and  aching  hearts — also  our  specially  dangerous 
enemy'? — our  Saul,  our  easily  besetting  sin'? — and, 
most  dangerous  of  all,  the  great  spiritual  Saul  that 
overthrew  the  bliss  of  Eden,  tempted  the  second 
Adam  in  the  wilderness,  and  leaves  no  means  untried 
to  destroy  all  who  would  be  such  as  he  was.  But 
in  what  way  did  David  seek  deliverance  from  the 
despair  filling  his  soul,  and  from  the  enemy  exalted 
over  him^     By  prayer  to  God,  saying. 

Verses  3,  4.  Consider  and  hear  me,  0  Lord  my  God;  lighten 
mine  eyes,  lest  I  sleep  the  sleep  of  death;  lest  mine  enemy 
say,  I  have  prevailed  against  him;  and  those  that  trouble  me 
rejoice  when  I  am  moved. 

13* 


1^0  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Dark,  dense,  and  chilling  as  the  cloud  is  that  over- 
shadows David,  he  still  sees  God  through  it,  or 
rather,  trusts  him  behind  it.  "Consider  and  hear 
me,  O  Lord  my  God" — still  his  God,  though  he 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  him,  and  hid  his  face  from 
him.  He  hopes  against  hope;  hopes  and  despairs, 
despairs  and  hopes.  Such  is  always  the  working  of 
the  heart  that  has  been  touched  by  the  regenerating 
grace  of  God;  like  the  magnetic  needle,  however 
much  agitated  by  external  force  and  disturbing  in- 
fluences, continually  struggling  to  regain  its  pole. 
It  is  impossible  for  such  a  soul  altogether  to  despair ; 
it  will  retain,  in  the  lowest  depths,  still  enough  of 
hope  to  send  up  winged  words  to  the  throne  of  grace. 
Its  language  evermore  is,  "out  of  the  depths  have  I 
called  unto  thee,  O  Lord:  Lord,  hear  my  voice." 
However  broad  the  arc  of  its  oscillations  of  despond- 
ency may  be,  they  are  evermore  at  least  crossing  the 
line  that  points  to  the  Star  of  Bethlehem.  "  Lighten 
mine  eyes,  lest  I  sleep  the  sleep  of  death."  It  is 
well  known  to  those  who  are  fxmiliar  with  its  ap- 
proaches, that  the  immediate  precursor  of  death  is 
failing  vision — the  sure  indication  to  the  dying  man 
that  he  is  passing  away,  that  life's  strength  will  soon 
be  wholly  gone.  Something  of  this  failing  vision 
David  experienced.  The  sorrows  of  his  heart,  like 
those  of  the  Saviour  in  the  garden,  had  been  so 
severe,  that  soul  and  body  appeared  sinking  beneath 
the  load.  Neither  seemed  able  longer  to  bear  up 
under  the  hidings  of  God's  face.  Hence  the  prayer, 
"lighten  mine  eyes,"  restore  my  expiring  strength, 
revive  my  fainting  soul  by  the  enlivening  beams  of 
thy  love  and  mercy,  or  I  die,  body  and  soul.   "  Lighten 


PSALM    XIII.  151 

mine  eyes,  lest  mine  enemy  say,  I  have  prevailed 
against  him;  and  those  that  trouble  me  rejoice  when 
I  am  moved."  David  here  advances  another  reason 
why  God  should  restore  unto  him  the  joy  of  his  sal- 
vation, and  uphold  him  by  his  grace.  His  fall  would 
give  the  enemies  of  religion  occasion  to  revile  it,  as 
vain,  and  worthless,  and  powerless  to  save.  David 
asks  God  to  deliver  him,  because  it  would  be  for  the 
honour  of  religion  for  him  to  do  so.  And  his  exam- 
ple in  this  respect  is  one  that  we  cannot  imitate  too 
closely.  We  should  seek  deliverance  from  the  evils 
that  may  beset  us,  not  merely  for  the  comfort  which 
the  deliverance  will  bring  ourselves,  but  for  the 
honour  it  will  bring  to  the  religion  we  profess,  and 
the  God  whom  we  serve.  In  every  petition  we  offer 
unto  God  we  should  seek  his  glory  and  the  advance- 
ment of  the  religion  of  his  Son.  We  should  ask 
light  and  grace  of  him,  only  that  light  and  grace 
may  be  conspicuously  manifested  in  our  lives,  to  the 
silencing  of  enemies  and  gainsayers,  and  the  encour- 
aging of  those  that  hope  in  his  mercy. 

Verses  5,  6.  But  I  have  trusted  in  thy  mercy;  my  heart  shall 
rejoice  in  thy  salvation.  I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  because 
he  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  me. 

Here  is  indeed  a  pleasing  change!  despair  ex- 
changed for  faith,  complaints  for  thanksgiving,  and 
prayer  for  praise.  We  hear  no  longer  the  voice  of 
sorrow,  but  in  its  stead,  the  voice  of  gladness  and 
melody.  God  has  at  last  given  his  servant  "  beauty 
for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  of 
praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness."  First,  we  hear  the 
voice  of  faith,  "I  have  trusted  in  thy  mercy;"  then 
the  voice  of  joy,  "I  will  rejoice  in  thy  salvation;"  and 


152  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

then  the  voice  of  thanksgiving,  "I  will  sing  unto  the 
Lord,  because  he  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  me." 
Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous,  and  gladness  for  the 
upright  in  heart.  The  sincere  believer  may  travel 
on  through  many  a  weary  day  under  a  cloud,  but  not 
always.  The  Sun  of  Highteousness  shall  at  length 
appear  to  him  with  healing  in  his  beams.  It  is  not 
to  be  denied,  however,  as  already  remarked,  that  the 
hiding  of  God's  face  from  his  children  is  oftentimes  a 
mystery.  Much  spiritual  darkness  is  no  doubt 
caused  by  the  mind's  sympathizing  with  a  morbid 
condition  of  the  body :  a  condition  not  always  known 
to  the  sufferer,  and  often  not  even  suspected.  Never- 
theless, the  morbid  condition  exists,  and  prevents  the 
mind  from  riofhtlv  estimatini^  the  evidences  of  its  con- 
version.  No  sooner,  however,  is  the  believer's  health 
restored,  than  he  finds  himself  in  a  new  world  of 
religious  hope  and  feeling,  and  yet  without  a  single 
new  evidence  of  his  being  a  child  of  God.  His  repent- 
ance is  not  more  sincere,  his  faith  more  entire,  nor 
his  purpose  to  serve  God  more  determined:  his 
restoration  to  health  alone  has  invested  his  evidences 
of  conversion  to  God  with  pleasurable  emotions:  he 
has  of  course  more  enjoyment  in  his  religion,  but  not 
an  iota  more  of  genuineness  and  safety  in  it  than 
there  was  before. 

We  have  in  mind  an  illustration  of  this.  Several 
years  ago,  at  one  of  our  large  watering-places,  I  made 
the  acquaintance  of  an  invalid,  who,  though  suffer- 
ing severely  from  physical  disease,  was  suffering  still 
more  from  religious  despondency.  A  more  sincere, 
simple-hearted,  intelligent  Christian,  I  thought  I  had 
never  met.     I  did  everything  I  could  to  remove  his 


PSALM   XIII.  153 

doubts,  and  show  him  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear; 
but  without  success.  I  at  length  said  to  him,  "Major 
S.,  if  you  were  standing  at  the  bed-side  of  a  dying 
fellow-creature,  who  gave  you  the  same  evidence,  in 
his  thoughts,  feelings,  and  purposes,  of  being  a  child 
of  God,  that  you  have  just  given  me  of  your  being 
such,  would  you  not  be  perfectly  satisfied  in  regard 
to  his  safety  in  the  world  to  come"?"  "O,  yes!" 
he  promptly  replied,  "but  Mr.  C,  I  cannot  bring 
these  things  home  to  my  own  heart."  I  replied, 
"No,  sir,  because  your  mind  sympathizes  so  painfully 
with  the  morbid  condition  of  your  body — the  moment 
you  are  relieved  of  your  physical  sufferings,  you  will 
be  relieved  also  of  your  mental."  He  replied,  with  a 
deep  drawn  sigh,  "I  hope  it  may  be  as  you  say,  but 
I  fear  that  it  will  not."  We  soon  after  separated  to 
go  to  other  springs,  to  meet  again  two  or  three  weeks 
afterwards.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  relieved 
of  his  physical  malady.  I  saw  the  change  the  mo- 
ment we  met,  and  taking  him  by  the  hand,  said  to 
him,  "You  are  a  well  man."  "O  yes,"  he  replied 
with  animation,  "  I  am  no  longer  the  sufferer  I  have 
been."  I  here  interposed,  "But  how  are  your  reli- 
gious hopes'?"  He  replied,  with  a  joyfulness  of 
expression  in  his  look  that  I  can  never  forget,  "Not 
a  cloud,  not  a  cloud!"  I  then,  looking  him  full  in 
the  face,  significantly  inquired,  "  Well,  Major,  have 
you  been  favoured  with  any  new  evidence  of  being  a 
child  of  Godl"  To  which  he  replied,  with  a  smile 
in  which  a  full  recollection  of  all  our  past  conversa- 
tions seemed  to  be  blended,  "  Not  one,  not  one !  it 
has  turned  out  as  you  said  it  would." 

Again:    much   spiritual   darkness   is    caused   by 


154  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ignorance  and  misconception  of  what  constitutes  the 
true  evidence  of  conversion.  Some  make  that  evi- 
dence to  consist  in  being  able  to  tell  the  time  and 
place  when  the  great  change  occurred ;  others,  in  cer- 
tain frames  and  feelings;  and  still  others,  in  holding 
to  certain  views  of  Divine  and  human  agency: 
whereas  the  only  sure  and  necessary  evidence  of  con- 
version is,  that  we  have  so  repented  of  our  sins  as  to 
have  forsake?!  them,  looking  to  Christ  for  their  forgive- 
ness; and  are  humbli/  endeavouring,  God  helping  us, 
to  live  according  to  his  laws.  If  this  be  the  prevail- 
ing temper  of  our  minds,  we  need  not  trouble  our- 
selves about  other  evidences  of  a  spiritual  change. 
We  need  no  other.  Again:  there  is  much  spiritual 
darkness  caused  by  God's  leaving  us  to  feel  the  evil 
of  our  sins  long  after  he  has  forgiven  their  death- 
penalty.  He  does  this,  that  we  may  not  so  readily 
fall  into  the  same,  or  similar  sins  again.  He  dealt 
thus  with  David  after  his  two  great  sins,  forgiving 
their  death-penalty,  yet  making  David  feel  the  evil 
of  them  to  the  end  of  his  days.  This  is  taught  us  in 
his  subsequent  history,  and  especially  in  the  fifty-first 
psalm.  The  most  prolific  source,  however,  of  spi- 
ritual darkness  and  sorrow  is  some  knowingly,  or 
unconsciously  indulged  sin,  on  account  of  which  God 
withdraws  the  cheering  influences  of  his  grace,  till 
the  known  sin  is  confessed  and  forsaken,  the  un- 
known detected  and  dealt  with  in  the  same  way. 
Such  are  the  four  great  causes  of  our  walking  in  spi- 
ritual doubts,  darkness,  and  sorrow.  There  may  be 
other  causes  for  God's  hiding  his  face  from  us,  for 
withdrawing  the  sustaining,  guiding,  and  enlivening 
influences  of  his  Spirit — but  we  can  only  imagine 


PSALM    XIII.  155 

them,  we  cannot  positively  affirm  them  upon  the  tes- 
timony of  his  word.  But  whatever  the  cause  may  be 
for  God's  leaving  us  in  the  dark,  and  filling  our  souls 
with  sorrow,  we  cannot  err,  if  we  do  as  David  did: 
betake  ourselves  to  him  in  prayer,  asking  him  to 
strengthen  us  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner 
man,  to  overcome  every  sin,  and  particularly  the  sin 
by  whose  power  our  safety  is  specially  endangered. 
We  would,  therefore,  close  with  the  words  of  Isaiah, 
already  once  recited,  "  Who  is  among  you  that  fear- 
eth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the  voice  of  his  servant, 
that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath  no  light "?  let  him 
trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  stay  upon  his 
God."  Isa.  1.  10. 


LECTURE    ON  PSALM   XIV. 

Verse  1.  The  fool  hatli  said  in  his  heart,  There  is  no  God. 
They  are  corrupt,  they  have  done  abominable  works,  there 
is  none  that  doeth  good. 

The  man  here  called  a  fool,  is  not  a  man  deficient 
in  understanding  and  natural  endowments,  but  a 
man  who  makes  no  good  use  of  them.  He  has  eyes, 
but  sees  not ;  ears,  but  hears  not ;  a  mind,  too,  but  he 
never  thinks.  It  would  be  better  for  him  if  he  were 
indeed  a  fool,  than  to  be  what  he  is.  God  is  visible 
and  speaking  in  his  works  everywhere :  this  fool  sees 
and  hears  him  nowhere.  He  proclaims  his  existence 
and  attributes  in  the  soul  and  conscience  more  loudly 
than  anywhere  else ;  and  yet  "  the  fool  hath  said  in 
his  heart,  There  is  no  God."     He  has  said  it  to  his 


156  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

conscience,  that  he  may  sin  without  fear  and  without 
remorse.  He  wishes  there  were  no  God  to  call  him 
to  account;  and  so  he  at  last  persuades  himself  into 
saying  it.  He  cannot  sin  Avithout  apprehension  of 
after  retribution,  till  all  thoughts  of  a  living,  omnis- 
cient, and  righteous  God  are  banished  from  his 
mind.  But  whence  cometh  this  strange  infatuation 
among  men,  of  saying,  "There  is  no  God'"?  It 
cometh  from  a  depraved  moral  nature.  They  are 
corrupt — that  is  the  secret  of  their  wishing  there 
were  no  God.  "They  have  done  abominable  works" 
— and  this,  while  it  strengthens  the  atheism  origin- 
ating in  corruption,  renders  a  firm  belief  of  it  on 
their  parts  still  more  necessary  to  their  peace  of 
mind;  the  more  men  sin,  the  more  stoutly  must  they 
strive  to  believe  that  "  there  is  no  God."  "  There  is 
none  that  doeth  good:"  no,  doing  good  lies  not  at  all 
in  the  atheist's  line  of  life ;  since  the  world  began  we 
never  heard  of  one  of  their  number  who  went  about 
doing  good.  Infidelity  and  uniform  well-doing  are 
so  antagonistic,  that  the  two  are  never  found  in  the 
same  person.  It  is  impossible  for  a  truly  good  man 
to  be  an  atheist.  It  is  a  wicked  life  that  beguiles 
men  into  beheving  that  there  is  no  God.  Where 
the  heart  is  right,  and  the  life  right,  the  mind  seizes 
upon  the  doctrine  of  an  overruling  Divine  Provi- 
dence as  one  of  the  sweetest  and  most  consoling  of 
thoughts. 

Verse  2.  The  Lord  looked  down  from  heaven  upon  the  children 
of  men,  to  see  if  there  were  any  that  did  understand,  and 
seek  God. 

God  examines  carefully   before  he  decides.     He 
does  nothing  in  haste,  but  makes  his  decision  not 


PSALM   XIV.  15T 

until  after  the  most  scrutinizing  examination.  Tliis 
is  especially  the  case  when  he  passes  judgment  on 
man's  moral  character.  It  was  not  until  after  such 
an  examination  that  he  rendered  the  verdict  in  re- 
gard to  man  before  the  flood :  "  The  wickedness  of 
man  is  great  in  the  earth;  and  every  imagination  of 
the  thoughts  of  his  heart  is  only  evil  continually." 
Gen.  vi.  5.  In  the  first  verse  the  fool  had  said  in 
his  heart,  "there  is  no  God;"  but  here  the  Being 
whose  existence  he  had  denied,  is  looking  down  upon 
him  from  heaven — nor  upon  him  alone,  but  upon 
all  the  children  of  men,  to  see  if  there  were  any 
that  did  understand ;  any  that  made  a  better  use  of 
their  faculties  than  the  fool  just  described;  any  that 
did  seek  God  as  their  protector,  guide,  and  portion. 
But,  alas !  he  finds  the  fool  who  had  said  in  his  heart, 
"there  is  no  God,"  repeated  in  every  one  of  the 
children  of  men  upon  whom  his  eye  falls — hence  his 
words: 

Verse  3.     They  are  all  gone  aside,  they  are  all  together  become 
filthy;  there  is  none  that  Joeth  good,  no,  not  one. 

Such  is  the  moral  character  of  the  whole  world  by 
nature.  The  whole  are  gone  aside ;  have  missed  the 
truth  and  the  life  to  which  it  leads.  "They  are 
all  together  become  filthy."  Moreover,  of  this  entire 
mass  of  humanity,  "there  is  none  that  doeth  good, 
no,  not  one."  All  are  as  far  removed  from  righteous 
lives  as  they  are  from  the  truth  and  pure  hearts.  In 
losing  the  truth,  they  therewith  lost  the  holiness 
whereby  alone  the  human  soul  can  be  kept  from 
moral  putrefaction.  Holiness  is  the  soul's  only  ele- 
ment of  spiritual  life.  Remove  the  salt  from  the 
ocean,  and  its  mass  of  waters  would  become  a  stag- 
14 


158  LECTUKES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

nant  sea  of  death.  A  similar  effect  has  been  pro- 
duced in  our  human  nature,  by  the  loss  of  the  holi- 
ness in  which  it  was  originally  created ;  the  loss  has 
converted  the  ocean  of  our  human  life  into  a  stag- 
nant sea  of  moral  death,  "All  together  have  become 
filthy;"  not  a  single  drop  of  its  many  waters — ^not  a 
single  soul  of  the  whole  mass  has  escaped  the  conta- 
gion, save  one  only — the  Son  of  Mary.  Many  think 
that  these  dark  pictures  of  human  nature  apply  only 
to  the  heathen  world.  That  is  a  mistake.  They 
apply  essentially  to  every  one  of  us  who  still  retain, 
unchanged,  the  moral  nature  wherewith  we  are  born 
into  the  world.* 

Verse  4.    Have  all  tlie  workers  of  iniquity  no  knowledge?  who  eat 
up  my  people  as  they  eat  bread,  and  call  not  upon  the  Lord. 

Not  to  call  on  the  Lord,  and  to  be  a  worker  of 
iniquity,  are  phrases  descriptive  of  the  same  charac- 
ter. They  teach  the  fact  that  he  that  calleth  not  on 
the  Lord,  is  sure  to  be  a  worker  of  iniquity;  that 
prayerlessness  and  wickedness  are  apt  to  be  united. 
Prayer  and  the  practice  of  sin  cannot  exist  together. 
Praying  withdraws  men  from  sin,  and  sets  their  feet 
in  the  ways  of  righteousness.  Hence,  when  the  Lord 
would  satisfy  the  timid  Ananias  that  Saul  of  Tarsus 

*  Between  the  third  and  fourth  verses  of  this  fourteenth  psalm,  as  the 
verses  are  numbered  in  our  English  Bible,  there  have  been  inserted  in  the 
Psalter  of  our  Prayer  Book,  several  verses  taken  fi-om  other  portions  of 
the  inspired  record,  (see  Rom.  iii.  13 — 18,  and  also  Psalms  v.  9;  x.  6; 
xsxvi.  1;  cxl.  3;  and  also  Isa.  lix.  7,  8.)  These  intervening  verses, 
though  confessedly  a  portion  of  the  inspired  word  of  God,  arc  rejected  by 
judicious  critics  as  an  interpolation  here.  They  harmonize  so  entirely 
with  the  teachings  of  the  psalm  in  regard  to  human  depravity,  that  some 
early  Christian  transcriber  was  probably  tempted  to  insert  them  from  the 
New  Testament  as  they  are  there  cited  by  St.  Paul.  We  omit  them,  there- 
fore, in  our  exposition  of  the  psalm,  and  pass  ou  to  the  next  verse,  accord- 
ing to  the  numbering  of  our  English  translation. 


PSALM   XIV.  159 

was  no  longer  making  havoc  of  his  Church,  he  said 
to  him,  "Behokl,  he  prayeth,"  Acts  ix.  11.  "Who 
eat  up  my  people  as  they  eat  bread:"  these  words 
specify  one  of  the  forms,  and  the  most  fearful  form, 
in  which  the  wickedness  of  the  human  heart,  as 
described  in  the  preceding  verses,  has  manifested 
itself — that  is,  in  the  persecution  of  the  righteous. 
The  darkest  and  bloodiest  page  in  human  history  is 
just  here.  Men  have  been  persecuted  for  righteous- 
ness' sake  more  than  for  anything  else.  The  perse- 
cution began  with  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of 
righteous  Abel;  and  at  what  time  since  has  the  tide 
of  righteous  blood  ceased,  when  it  was  in  the  power 
of  an  infidel  and  ungodly  world  to  keep  it  still  flow- 
ing] We  mean  by  the  term  "world,"  in  this  con- 
nection, not  merely  those  who  have  made  no  profes- 
sion of  godliness,  but  also  those  who,  though  having 
made  such  a  profession,  have  manifested  a  spirit  as 
intolerant,  and  at  times  even  more  intolerant,  of  true 
righteousness  than  the  world  itself  It  was  not  a 
heathen  man  and  professed  infidel  who  shed  the  first 
righteous  blood,  but  a  brother,  worshipping  at  the 
same  altar  with  the  brother  whom  he  slew.  Gen.  iv. 
1-8.  They  were  not  heathen  who  cried  out,  "  Away 
with  him!  crucify  him!"  He  was  not  an  avowed 
atheist  who  breathed  threatening  and  slaughter 
against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  (Acts  ix.  1,)  but 
the  pride  of  his  nation  and  its  church — the  church 
claiming  to  be  the  Church  of  God!  With  how  keen 
a  zest  did  these  consume  the  true  Israel  of  God,  and 
with  as  little  compunction  as  they  ate  their  bread. 
No  pagan  power,  before  or  since,  ever  engaged  in 
the  work  with  greater  delight.     It  is  to  be  doubted 


160  LECTURES  ON  TUE  PSALMS. 

whether  more  righteous  blood  has  not  been  shed  by 
bigottcd  ecclesiasticism  than  by  paganism.  The  for- 
mer has  shown  an  intolerance  of  real  godliness  cer- 
tainly equal  to  that  of  the  latter.  Hence  the  demand 
in  regard  to  both,  "Have  all  the  workers  of  iniquity 
no  knowledge"?" — do  they  not  know  that  in  acting 
thus,  they  are  but  acting  out  a  nature  that  is  utterly 
perverted "? — that  in  thus  arraying  themselves  against 
the  righteous,  they  are  arraying  themselves  against 
God  himself?  This  would  seem  to  be  the  import  of 
the  demand  in  regard  to  the  knowledge  which  workers 
of  iniquity,  and  especially  persecutors,  may  have  of 
the  origin  and  import  of  their  acts.  That  they  do 
not  always  know  what  they  are  doing,  is  proved  by 
what  our  Lord  said  of  his  crucifiers,  "Father,  for- 
give them ;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  Luke 
xxiii.  34.  And  that  they  do  not  always  understand 
the  character  of  the  impulses  under  which  they  are 
acting,  is  also  proved  by  what  our  Lord  said  to  his  dis- 
ciples: "Yea,  the  time  cometh,that  whosoever  killeth 
you,  will  think  he  doeth  God  service,"  (John  xvi.  2;) 
and  by  the  fact  that  Saul  of  Tarsus  verily  thought 
with  himself  that  he  ought  to  do  many  things  contrary 
to  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Acts  xxvi.  9.  All 
this,  however,  only  goes  to  prove  how  fearful  the 
blinding  power  of  that  heart  of  wickedness  is,  where- 
with we  are  born  into  the  world,  and  to  confirm  the 
words  of  inspiration  in  another  place,  "  The  heart  is 
deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked; 
who  can  know  itl"  Jer.  xvii.  9.  But  however  per- 
secuted, whether  by  those  who  know  what  they  are 
doing,  and  persecute  them  maliciously,  or  by  those 
who  do  not  know  what  they  are  doing,  and  thus  may 


) 


PSALM   XIV.  161 


persecute  them  conscientiously,  God  will  not  long 
leave  the  righteous  in  the  hands  of  either. 


'&' 


Verse  5.     There  were  they  in  great  fear :  for  God  is  in  the  gene- 
ration of  the  righteous. 

Hitherto  "the  workers  of  iniquity,"  they  that 
"  call  not  upon  the  Lord,"  are  represented  as  having 
had  things  all  their  o;vn  way,  with  none  to  molest 
or  make  them  afraid.  Here,  however,  the  God 
whose  character  they  had  misconceived,  or  whose 
existence  they  had  in  their  hearts  denied,  has  made 
his  appearance  in  the  midst  of  them,  filling  them  with 
fear.  "There  were  they  in  great  fear."  There,  in 
the  midst  of  their  fancied  security  and  belief  that 
there  was  no  power  to  call  them  to  account  for  their 
doings,  some  Divine  providence  had  made  them  feel 
that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  he  is  a  God  greatly  to 
be  feared.  It  is  remarkable  how  quickly  God  some- 
times turns  the  triumphs  of  the  wicked  into  conster- 
nation and  dismay.  The  providence,  too,  is  generally 
of  such  a  character  that  it  cannot  be  mistaken  as  a 
Divine  interposition  on  behalf  of  righteousness  against 
wickedness,  on  behalf  of  the  people  of  God  against 
their  enemies.  "  Let  us  flee  from  the  face  of  Israel," 
said  the  Egyptians,  as  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  were 
pouring  their  waves  back  upon  them,  "for  the  Lord 
fighteth  for  them  against  the  Egyptians."  Exod. 
xiv.  25.  The  same  conviction  of  the  Lord's  fighting 
for  Israel  against  their  enemies,  made  the  inhabitants 
of  Canaan  as  helpless  as  lambs  before  their  inva- 
ders. Such  have  been,  in  the  main,  the  orderings  of  . 
Divine  Providence  in  regard  to  the  enemies  of  the 
righteous  and  righteousness.  When  the  measure  of 
their  iniquity  is  full,  how  suddenly  he  overwhelms 
14* 


162  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

them,  and  generally  at  the  moment  of  their  greatest 
exultation.  It  was  thus  that  he  overwhelmed  Sen- 
nacherib before  Jerusalem,  destroying  a  hundred  and 
four-score  and  five  thousand  of  his  soldiers  in  a  single 
night,  and  sending  him  back  to  his  own  country 
alone.  It  was  thus  that  he  overwhelmed  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, depriving  him  of  reason,  while  he  was  yet 
exulting  over  the  vastness  of  his  empire  as  a  thing 
of  his  own  achievement.  It  was  thus  that  he  over- 
whelmed Belshazzar,  while  he  and  his  nobles  were 
profaning  the  sacred  vessels  of  the  temple  in  their 
feast,  and  thus  pouring  contempt  upon  the  people  of 
God  and  their  religion;  the  same  hour  there  came 
forth  the  fingers  of  a  man's  hand,  and  wrote  his 
doom  on  the  plaster  of  the  wall;  and  that  night, 
Belshazzar,  king  of  the  Chaldeans,  was  slain.  It 
was  thus  too  that  God  overwhelmed  Spain,  bearing 
down  with  her  Invincible  Annada  upon  the  shores  of 
England,  to  extinguish  the  only  pure,  unadulterated 
light  of  Christianity  then  on  earth.  God  met  it  with 
a  storm — blew,  and  the  vast  armament  disappeared; 
and  Spain  has  been  living  but  a  dying  life  ever  since. 
"God  is  in  the  generation  of  the  righteous;"  is  ever 
in  the  midst  of  his  faithful  people,  and  can  never  fail, 
at  the  right  juncture  of  their  aifairs,  to  deliver  them 
and  punish  their  enemies.  His  providence  so  hems 
the  wicked  in,  that  he  cannot  escape.  "Knowest 
thou  not  this  of  old,  since  man  was  placed  upon  the 
earth,  that  the  triumphing  of  the  wicked  is  short  1 .  .  . 
The  heaven  shall  reveal  liis  iniquity,  and  the  earth 
shall  rise  up  against  him.  .  .  .  He  shall  flee  from  the 
iron  weapon,  and  the  bow  of  steel  shall  strike  him 
through."  Job  xx.  4,  5,  27,  24. 


PSALM   XIV.  163 

Verse  6.  Ye  have  shamed  the  counsel  of  the  poor,  because  the 
Lord  is  his  refuge. 

Ye  wicked,  ye  workers  of  iniquity,  ye  that  call  not 
upon  the  Lord,  manifest  the  extreme  wickedness  of 
your  heart  in  another  way,  ye  ridicule  the  counsel  of 
the  poor,  the  righteous  man's  making  the  Lord  his 
refuge.  How  powerful  a  weapon  of  persecution  is 
this  of  ridicule !  and  with  what  effect  has  it  not  been 
used  against  the  Church  of  God  and  individuals, 
drawing  from  its  quiver  at  one  time  the  simple  ban- 
ter; at  another,  the  sneer  of  the  blackguard;  and  at 
another,  the  keen  sarcasm  and  polished  irony  of  the 
would-be  philosopher.  You  recollect  with  what  ma- 
licious zest  our  Lord's  enemies  used  this  weapon  of 
ridicule  against  him  on  the  cross,  saying,  "  He 
trusted  in  God;  let  him  deliver  him  now  if  he  will 
have  him."  But  while  the  words  were  yet  in  their 
mouths,  the  darkened  heavens,  a  shuddering  earth,  and 
a  lightning-riven  temple,  turned  their  triumph  into 
consternation.  Luke  xxiii.  48.  They  thought,  how- 
ever, that  they  had  surely  falsified  the  crucified  One's 
trust  in  God  when  they  consigned  his  body  to  a 
sealed  and  guarded  grave.  But  here  also  they  were 
disappointed:  the  third  day  dawned,  and  he  was  not 
where  they  had  laid  him.  He  had  risen  from  the 
dead!  Another  and  final  proof  that  God  never  for- 
sakes those  who  make  him  their  refuge.  He  follows 
them  down  into  the  grave  and  brings  them  up  even 
thence ;  thus  turning  the  good  man's  sighs  into  songs, 
and  the  bad  man's  derision  into  dismay. 

Verse  7.  0  that  the  salvation  of  Israel  were  come  out  of  Zion ! 
When  the  Lord  bringeth  back  the  captivity  of  his  people, 
Jacob  shall  rejoice,  and  Israel  shall  be  glad. 

Yes,  the  only  cure  for  the  evils  described  in  this 


164  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

psalm  must  come  from  Zion,  from  the  religion 
revealed  in  its  sacred  oracles,  and  typified  in  the 
sacrifices  and  ritual  of  its  temple.  If  the  Lord  bring 
us  not  back  from  the  moral  captivity  in  which  we  all 
are  by  nature,  through  the  operations  of  that  religion, 
there  is  no  help,  no  redemption  for  us.  But  let  none 
of  us  fear.  He  who  died  for  us  upon  Calvary,  tasted 
death  for  every  man,  and  his  blood  cleanseth  us  from 
all  sin.  Salvation  is  come  out  of  Zion,  and  is  off'ered 
to  all  without  money  and  without  price,  who  will 
receive  it  in  the  name  of  Christ.  Let  us  all  then 
gladly  accept  this  so  great  salvation;  then  shall  we, 
renewed  in  the  moral  image  of  Plim  who  redeemed 
us,  not  wish  there  were  no  God,  but  the  glad  saying 
of  every  thought  and  feeling  of  our  hearts  will  be, 
"Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee'?  and  there  is 
none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee."  Ps. 
Ixxiii.  25. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XV. 

Verse  1.     Lord,  who  shall  ahide  in  thy  tabernacle?  who  shall 
dwell  in  thy  holy  hill? 

David  is  not  asking  here  what  will  purchase  him 
heaven,  but  what  line  of  conduct  will  lead  him  up  to 
the  heaven  already  purchased  for  him  by  another. 
It  was  as  a  justified  believer  that  David  asks,  "  Lord, 
who  shall  abide  in  thy  tabernacle'?  who  shall  dwell  in 
thy  holy  hilH"  It  is  asking  what  course  of  life  a 
professor  of  godliness  is  bound  to  lead.    If  Christ  has 


PSALM   XV.  165 

purchased  a  heaven  of  righteousness,  purity,  and 
love,  for  us,  no  other  than  a  life  of  righteousness, 
purity,  and  love,  can  conduct  us  to  it.  It  is  not  the 
life  that  purchases  us  the  inheritance,  it  only  fits  us 
for  it.  Who  then  is  the  man  whose  steps  take  hold 
on  eternal  life,  and  conduct  him  as  a  welcome  and 
everlasting  guest  into  the  temple  of  God  on  high'? 

Verse  2.     He  that  walketh  uprightly,  and  worketh  righteous- 
ness, and  speaketh  the  truth  in  his  heart. 

He  walketh  uprightly,  endeavours  so  to  live  that 
he  can  say  to  all  who  know  him,  "  Which  of  you  con- 
victeth  me  of  sin'?"  He  worketh  righteousness,  aims 
to  be  strictly  just;  never  inquires  what  custom  may 
allow,  nor  what  human  law  may  allow,  nor  what 
expediency  may  seem  to  demand,  but  what  only  is 
in  itself  just  and  right.  No  earthly  advantage  is,  in 
his  estimation,  great  enough  to  be  obtained  at  the 
sacrifice  of  justice.  He  reckons  it  by  no  means 
necessary  for  him  to  become  rich,  or  great,  or  power- 
ful, or  even  to  live ;  he  does,  however,  reckon  it  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  him  to  do  right.  Threatened 
with  evil  for  refusing  to  assist  in  the  perpetration  of 
a  wrong,  Socrates  replied,  "I  will  never  willingly 
assist  an  unjust  act.  I  expect  to  suffer  a  thousand 
ills,  but  none  so  great  as  to  do  unjustly."  Such  is 
the  temper  of  every  just  man's  mind.  He  worketh 
righteousness:  it  is  the  labour  and  habit  of  his  life  to 
render  unto  every  man  his  due.  He  cannot  conceive 
of  anything  as  right,  which  will  not  bear  the  scru- 
tiny of  a  just  and  omniscient  Judge.  He  never  for- 
gets that  the  Being  in  whose  holy  hill  he  would 
dwell  for  ever,  is  a  being  of  infinite  rectitude.  He 
labours,  therefore,  to  have  every  act  of  his  life  such 
as   that   righteous   being   can   approve.     Moreover, 


166  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

"he  speakcth  the  truth  in  his  heart;"  labours  to  pre- 
serve an  entire  harmony  between  his  outer  and 
inner  life,  to  be  in  act  what  he  is  in  thought.  He 
will  no  more  act,  than  he  will  utter,  a  falsehood. 
His  outer  life  is  an  image  and  transcript  of  the 
inner;  his  righteousness  is  not  a  something  put  on, 
but  the  simple  and  truthful  development  of  what  he 
is  in  his  heart.  As  he  never  forgets  that  the  Being 
whose  everlasting  favour  he  covets,  is  a  Being  of 
infinite  rectitude,  so  he  never  forgets  that  he  is  also 
a  Being  of  infinite  truth.  The  language  alike  of  his 
heart  and  of  his  lips  is,  "  Search  me,  O  God,  and 
know  my  heart:  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts: 
and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead 
me  in  the  way  everlasting."  He  walketh  uprightly, 
he  worketh  righteousness,  he  speaketh  the  truth  in 
his  heart. 

Verse  3.  He  that  backbiteth  not  with  his  tonirue,  nor  doeth 
evil  to  his  neighbour,  nor  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his 
neighbour. 

"He  backbiteth  not  with  his  tongue:"  he  will 
no  more  inflict  a  wound  upon  another's  reputa- 
tion, than  he  will  upon  his  person  or  property. 
The  backbiter,  so  called,  because,  like  the  dog,  he 
steals  behind  those  in  whom  he  wishes  to  flesh  his 
teeth,  deals  in  innuendos,  insinuations,  evil  surmis- 
ings,  significant  shrugs  and  looks,  double-entendres, 
words  meaning  one  thing  in  their  literal  sense,  and 
altogether  another  thing  from  the  tone  in  which  they 
are  uttered,  and  so  destroys  a  good  name,  that  no 
open  assault  could  have  afl'ccted.  In  this  way  the 
weak  often  overwhelm  the  strong;  the  vilest,  the 
most  pure.  The  blow  from  behind  and  in  the  dark, 
accomplishes  its  work  of  ruin  before  danger  is  even 


PSALM   XV.  167 

suspected.  The  truly  good  man,  however,  will  assail 
no  man's  good  name.  If  he  cannot  speak  good  of 
another,  he  will  say  nothing.  lie  thinks,  and  justly 
too,  that  he  has  no  more  right  to  injure  another's 
character,  than  he  has  to  injure  his  health;  to  destroy 
another's'^  good  name,  than  he  has  to  destroy  his  life : 
he  "  backbiteth  not  with  his  tongue,  nor  doeth  evil  to 
his  neighbour."  If  he  discover  his  neighbour's  faults, 
he  does  not  noise  them  abroad,  but  tries  to  conceal 
them ;  and  so,  if  he  discover  his  neighbour's  necessi- 
ties, he  does  what  he  can  to  relieve  them.  Moreover, 
he  taketh  not  "  up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbour." 
Some  understand  these  words  to  mean,  he  will  not 
originate  a  reproach  against  his  neighbour;  others 
understand  them  to  mean,  he  will  not  listen  to  a 
reproach  against  his  neighbour.  The  willing  listener 
is  as  bad  as  a  talebearer.  If  there  were  none  to  listen 
to  the  tale  of  scandal,  there  would  be  none  to  start 
it,  and  none  to  repeat  it.  The  slanderous  ear,  then, 
is  as  detestable  as  the  slanderous  tongue.  And  yet, 
when  the  scandal  is  once  started,  how  few  hesitate  to 
circulate  it,  thinking  themselves  guiltless,  because 
they  did  not  originate  it !  We  have,  however,  yet  to 
learn  that,  in  order  to  convict  a  man  of  murder,  it  is 
necessary  for  him  to  have  made,  with  his  own  hands, 
the  knife  with  which  he  dealt  the  deadly  blow;  that 
he  used  the  knife,  is  quite  enough  to  convict  him  of 
the  crime.  So  it  matters  not  who  originates  a  scan- 
dal; all  who  repeat  it  are  involved  in  the  guilt  of  the 
evil  it  does.  He  who  administers  a  poison,  is  as 
guilty  as  he  who  compounds  it.  And  he  who  repeats 
a  calumny,  what  else  is  he  doing  but  administering 
the  poison  compounded  by  another]    The  talebearer's 


168  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

usual  preface,  "  they  say,"  or  "  people  say,"  or  "  have 
you  heard?"  in  nowise  exculpates  him  from  the  guilt 
of  an  originator.  The  truly  good  man,  however,  will 
not  originate  a  tale  of  scandal;  he  will  not  circulate 
it,  he  will  not  listen  to  it.  He  treats  the  talebearer 
as  the  pest  of  society,  frowns  him  into  silence,  and 
out  of  his  sight. 

Verse  4.  In  vf^hose  eyes  a  vile  person  is  contemned;  but  lie 
honoureth  them  that  fear  the  Lord :  he  that  sweareth  to  his 
own  hurt,  and  changeth  not. 

The  sincere  worshipper  of  God  holds  vileness  in 
contempt :  he  would  still  despise  it,  though  it  should 
wear  a  crown,  sit  upon  a  throne,  and  wield  a  sceptre. 
It  is  impossible  for  a  pure  mind  to  render  any  sort  of 
liomage  to  vice.  Such  a  mind  will,  for  the  sake  of 
society,  honour  the  office  that  a  bad  man  may  hold, 
but  he  will  not  honour  the  man  himself.  St.  Paul 
honoured  Ananias,  as  high  priest,  while  he  still  stig- 
matized him  as  a  whited  wall,  for  commanding  him 
to  be  smitten  contrary  to  the  law.  Acts  xxiii.  3.  To 
receive  the  homage  of  the  world,  it  is  only  necessary 
for  vileness  to  be  gilded  with  gold,  arrayed  in  purple 
and  fine  linen,  or  invested  with  power.  It  is  other- 
wise with  the  man  whose  moral  sentiments  qualify 
him  for  the  society  of  heaven.  Though  his  heart's 
desire  and  continual  prayer  to  God  is,  that  all  men 
may  become  pure  and  godlike,  still  a  vile  person  can 
never  occupy  a  place  where  he  will  not  be,  in  his 
eyes,  contemned.  He  is  obliged  to  regard  every 
such  man  as  a  leprous  spot  upon  the  moral  system  of 
the  world;  "but  he  honoureth  them  that  fear  the 
Lord."  He  honours  virtue  wherever  found,  in  what- 
ever garb  it   may  appear.     As  vice  can  never  put 


PSALM   XV.  169 

on  a  garb,  nor  occupy  a  place  where  it  will  not  excite 
his  contempt,  so  virtue  can  never  wear  a  garb,  nor 
occupy  a  place  where  it  will  not  excite  his  sincere 
respect.  He  honours  everywhere  the  man  who 
honours  God.  He  looks  upon  such  a  man  as  co- 
operating with  God  himself  in  endeavouring  to 
render  the  world  in  which  we  live  like  the  heaven 
to  which  we  should  aspire,  the  abode  of  purity, 
righteousness,  and  bliss.  The  good  man  renders 
this  homage  to  virtue,  not  of  compulsion,  but  spon- 
taneously. It  is  the  homage  of  a  kindred  spirit,  of  a 
spirit  filled  with  the  same  love  of  truth  and  rectitude. 
This  never-failing  homage  to  virtue  is,  however,  pre- 
dicated of  the  godly  man  of  our  psalm:  "He  honour- 
eth  them  that  fear  the  Lord;"  all  in  whom  he 
discovers  the  faintest  resemblance  to  Him  who  closed 
his  earthly  career  upon  Calvary.  Moreover,  if  he 
has  sworn  to  his  own  hurt,  he  changes  not.  How- 
ever much  it  may  cost  him,  he  keeps  his  word.  If 
he  sweareth  unto  his  neighbour,  he  disappointeth 
him  not,  though  it  should  be  to  his  own  hinderance. 
Though  willing  to  submit  to  all  such  forms,  he  does 
not  require  to  be  obliged  by  bond  and  security  to  fulfil 
his  engagements.  He  is  not  of  those  who  seem  to 
regard  nothing  binding  upon  them,  but  what  can  be 
enforced  by  process  of  law.  His  simple  word  is  to 
him  a  law.  His  love  of  truth  and  right  is  more  to 
him  than  any  human  law  can  be,  and  would,  if  there 
were  no  law,  lead  him  still  to  keep  his  promise  invio- 
late. He  Avill  never  excite  an  expectation  in  any 
mind,  which  he  will  not  do  his  best  to  realize. 
Others  may  reckon  themselves  released  from  their 
promises,  when  they  prove  to  be  injurious  to  them; 
15 


170  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

but  he  still  adheres  to  his,  to  the  letter,  and  to  the 
last,  unless  he  is  voluntarily  released  by  the  person 
to  whom  it  was  made.  It  may  sometimes  be  unjust 
in  a  neighbour  to  enforce  the  fulfilment  of  a  promise 
hastily  or  incautiously  made ;  still  a  truly  godly  man 
will  not  falsify  his  word  by  refusing  to  fulfil  even 
such  promises.  The  only  promise  which  he  will  not 
endeavour  to  fulfil,  is  a  promise  involving  in  its  fulfil- 
ment something  morally  wrong.  All  such  promises 
are  a  nullity,  however  made,  and  to  whomever  made, 
and  binding  upon  no  man  to  fulfil.  No  man  is 
bound  by  a  promise  to  do  a  thing  that  is  morally 
wrong. 

Verse  5.  He  that  puttetli  not  out  his  money  to  usury;  nor 
taketh  reward  against  the  innocent.  He  that  doeth  these 
things  shall  never  be  moved. 

He  will  not  increase  the  poor  man's  distress  by 
taking  advantage  of  his  necessities  to  exact  an  exor- 
bitant interest  upon  what  he  may  lend  him.  If  he 
can  help  the  poor  man  at  all,  he  helps  him  without 
remuneration  for  the  aid  rendered.  The  law  de- 
livered to  the  Israelites  reads,  "  If  thou  lend  money 
to  any  of  my  people  that  is  poor  by  thee,  thou  shalt 
not  be  to  him  as  a  usurer,  neither  shalt  thou  lay 
upon  him  usury."  Exod.  xxii.  25.  "  Thou  shalt  not 
give  him  thy  money  upon  usury,  nor  lend  him  thy 
victuals  for  increase."  Lev.  xxv.  37.  "Thou  shalt 
not  lend  upon  usury  to  thy  brother ;  usury  of  money, 
usury  of  victuals,  usury  of  anything  that  is  lent  upon 
usury."  Dent,  xxiii.  19.  This  law  against  usury  does 
not  forbid  the  lending  of  money  and  other  things  on 
interest  to  persons  engaged  in  trade — to  those  whose 
business  is  buying  and  selling  to  get  gain;  it  only 


PSALM   XV.  171 

forbids  the  taking  of  interest  upon  things  lent  to  the 
straitened  poor.  It  requires  us,  being  able  to  do  so, 
to  help  such  without  remuneration,  and  to  be  satis- 
fied with  the  naked  return  of  what  we  have  lent 
them.  It  requires  us  to  help  to  save  the  little  pro- 
perty of  the  poor  for  them  by  a  well-timed  liberality. 
And  yet  how  many,  who  pass  for  honourable  men  in 
the  world,  sacrifice  the  poor  man  to  their  cupidity — 
make  his  extremity  their  opportunity!  The  poor 
man  wants  money — they  lend  it  to  him  at  an  exor- 
bitant interest,  secured  by  a  lien  upon  his  little  all; 
the  property  has  to  be  sold  to  pay  the  debt,  and  they 
are  present  to  bid  it  in  at  the  lowest  possible  price — 
for  themselves!  God  has  a  word  for  such  persons: 
"  He  that  by  usury  and  unjust  gain  increaseth  his 
substance,  he  shall  gather  it  for  him  that  will  pity 
the  poor."  Prov.  xxviii.  8.  The  man  who  would 
dwell  for  ever  with  his  God,  putteth  not  out  his 
money,  nor  anything  else  of  his,  to  usury  to  the  poor. 
He  will  not  enrich  himself  by  another's  misfortunes, 
but  do  what  he  can  to  lighten  them.  He  obeys,  in 
its  literal  sense,  the  precept,  "Give  to  him  that 
asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of 
thee,  turn  not  thou  away."  Matt.  v.  42.  He  regards 
himself  as  God's  almoner  to  the  needy.  "Nor  taketh 
reward  against  the  innocent."  The  man  who  has  his 
face  set  heavenward,  will  never  do  anything  to  de- 
prive an  innocent  person  of  his  rights.  If  he  is  a 
witness,  neither  fear,  nor  favour,  nor  reward,  will 
restrain  him  from  telling  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth.  If  he  is  a  judge,  he  will 
receive  no  bribe  of  any  sort  to  influence  his  decision. 
If  an  advocate,  he  will  not  lend  himself  to  obtain  for 


172  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

his  client  what  does  not  belong  to  him  of  right;  he 
will  not,  as  Isaiah  styles  such  pleading,  "justify  the 
wicked  for  reward."  Isa.  v.  23.  The  highest  legal 
talent  is  not  unfrcquently  prostituted  to  the  defence 
of  known  and  acknowledged  guilt.  Such  lending  of 
one's  talents  is  taking  reward  against  the  innocent, 
against  those  whom  the  guilty  one  has  wronged,  and 
against  society  at  large,  thus  doomed  to  become 
again  the  victim  of  his  crimes.  Such  defence  makes 
the  advocate  an  accessory  after  the  fact.  Moreover, 
the  advocate  who  lends  himself  to  setting  a  bad  man 
loose  again  upon  society,  un whipped  of  justice,  is  as 
responsible  for  whatever  evil  the  man  may  afterwards 
do,  as  he  would  be  for  the  evil  done  by  a  wild  beast 
that  he  had  been  feed  to  unchain.  We  rejoice  to 
believe  that  not  a  few  of  the  legal  profession  regard 
the  defence  of  guilt  against  innocence  in  this  light. 
Many  of  the  brightest  and  purest  lights  of  our  Ameri- 
can Church  are  to  be  found  on  the  bench  and  at  the 
bar — men  who  would  sooner  thrust  their  right  hands 
into  the  fire  than  soil  them  with  a  fee  to  clear  the 
guilty,  or  oppress  the  innocent.  It  is  impossible  to 
conceive  of  a  higher  attribute  of  moral  character  than 
this  fixed  determination,  to  know  nothing  but  right 
in  the  advocacy  and  administration  of  justice.  It  is 
one  of  the  attributes  of  moral  character  ascribed  to 
the  good  man  of  our  psalm,  "  he  taketh  not  reward 
against  the  innocent."  If  the  controversy  in  which 
he  may  be  called  to  act  as  a  witness,  a  judge,  an 
advocate,  or  simply  to  give  the  influence  of  his  name, 
were  a  controversy  between  a  king  and  a  peasant,  a 
millionaire  and  a  beggar,  a  master  and  his  servant, 
he  would  wholly  ignore  the  social  position  of  the 


PSALM   XV.  173 

parties  litigant,  and  be  found  siding  only  with  him 
who  was  in  the  right. 

"  He  that  doeth  these  things  shall  never  be  moved." 
He  that  doeth  what  things] — "he  that  walketh  up- 
rightly, and  worketh  righteousness,  and  speaketh  the 
truth  in  his  heart;  he  that  backbiteth  not  with  his 
tongue,  nor  doeth  evil  to  his  neighbour,  nor  taketh 
up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbour ;  in  whose  eyes 
a  vile  person  is  contemned;  but  he  maketh  much  of 
them  that  fear  the  Lord:  he  that  sweareth  to  his  own 
hurt,  and  changeth  not;  he  that  putteth  not  out  his 
money  to  usury,  nor  taketh  reward  against  the  inno- 
cent." These  are  the  moral  virtues  of  the  man  who 
would  obtain  a  kingdom  that  cannot  be  moved — of 
the  man  who  would  dwell  for  ever  in  the  tabernacle 
of  God  on  high.  Do  you  answer,  that  we  are  saved 
by  faith'?  Granted — but  not  by  an  idle  and  barren 
faith ;  but  by  a  faith  that  worketh — worketh  by  love, 
purifieth  the  heart,  overcometh  the  world,  and 
aboundeth  in  good  works.  The  faith  that  saves  the 
soul,  produces  all  the  moral  virtues.  "  Add  to  your 
faith,"  says  St.  Peter.  Add  what  to  your  faith  1 
"Add  to  your  faith, virtue ;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge; 
and  to  knowledge,  temperance;  and  to  temperance, 
patience;  and  to  patience,  godliness;  and  to  godli- 
ness, brotherly  kindness;  and  to  brotherly  kindness, 
charity."  1  Pet.  i.  5-7.  Quite  an  addition  to  faith! 
Very  like  golden  rounds  in  a  ladder  reaching  from 
earth  to  heaven.  Such  are  the  virtues  of  faith;  its 
graces  are  as  follows:  "The fruit  of  the  spirit  is  love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith, 
meekness,  temperance."  Gal.  v.  22,  23.  These  words 
are  as  bright  an  exliibition  of  what  the  true  believer 
15* 


174  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

is  internally,  as  the  words  repeated  just  before  them 
are  of  what  he  is  externally.  The  faith  that  saves 
the  soul,  purifies  both  heart  and  life.  The  word  of 
God  knows  of  no  other  way  leading  up  to  heaven 
than  heavenly  tempers  and  a  heavenly  life.  The 
atonement  made  for  our  sins  by  Christ,  in  no  wise 
releases  us  from  the  obligation  to  lead  such  a  life,  to 
cultivate  such  dispositions,  and  practise  such  works 
as  would  become  an  actual  resident  of  the  heavenly 
world.  It  is  the  glory  of  our  religion  that  the  salva- 
tion it  offers  to  the  lost,  is  altogether  of  grace.  If  it 
ofi"ers  pardon  to  the  guilty,  purity  to  the  polluted, 
and  mansions  of  everlasting  rest  to  the  weary  and  the 
homeless,  it  offers  the  whole  as  a  free  gift.  Eternal 
life  is  the  gift  of  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
The  song  sung  by  every  human  spirit  in  heaven  is 
one  and  the  same,  namely,  "  Unto  Him  that  loved  us 
and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and 
hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his 
Father,  to  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and 
ever.  Amen."  So  it  ought  to  be.  God  forbid  that 
we  should  teach  that  heaven  is  purchased  for  us  by 
any  other  merits  and  obedience  than  the  merits  and 
obedience  of  God's  own  Son,  made  ours  by  flxith. 
The  faith,  however,  that  makes  the  purchase  of 
Christ's  blood  ours,  is  a  faith  that  infallibly  leads  to 
holy  obedience.  Christ  himself  makes  holy  obedience 
to  his  laws  the  great  and  only  infallible  evidence  of 
a  saving  faith  in  him.  "Not  every  one,"  says  He, 
"that  saith  unto  me  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Therefore,  whosoever 
heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them,  I  will 


PSALM   XVI.  175 

liken  him  imto  a  wise  man  which  bnilt  his  house 
upon  a  rock ;  and  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods 
came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house ; 
and  it  fell  not,  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock.  And 
every  one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and 
doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man, 
which  built  his  house  upon  the  sand;  and  the  rain 
descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew, 
and  beat  upon  that  house,  and  it  fell ;  and  great  was 
the  fall  of  it."  Whoever  builds  his  hopes  of  heaven 
upon  a  faith  not  leading  to  holy  obedience,  is  des- 
tined to  have  them  all  swept  away.  He  who  died  to 
redeem  us  and  exalt  us  to  everlasting  life  tells  us  so. 
He  ignores  as  a  saving  faith  the  faith  that  makes 
light  of  the  very  least  of  his  commandments.  "  Who- 
soever," says  he,  "shall  break  one  of  the  least  of 
these  commandments,  and  shall  teach  men  so,  shall 
be  called  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  who- 
soever shall  do  and  teach  them,  shall  be  called  great 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Matt.  vii.  24-27. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XVL 

Verse  1.     Preserve  mc,  0  God:  for  in  thee  do  I  put  my  trust. 

This  is  the  cry  of  one  surrounded  by  dangers,  in  the 
midst  of  which  he  feels  that  Divine  power  alone 
can  save  him.  However  great  the  soul's  self-reli- 
ance, there  are  times  when  it  feels  that  it  needs  a 
strength  greater  than  its  own  to  sustain  it.  This 
was  David's  feeling,  when  he  uttered  the  cry,  "  Save 


176  LECTURES   ON   TUE   PSALMS. 

me,  O  God!"  Whether  the  dangers  he  dreaded 
were  actual  and  urgent,  or  only  anticipated,  he  does 
not  in  so  many  words  inform  us.  It  is  clear,  how- 
ever, that  the  danger  that  David  most  dreaded  was 
death — the  loosening  of  the  vital  cord,  and  the 
return  of  the  spirit  unto  God  who  gave  it :  death,  not 
in  its  physical  aspects,  but  death  as  the  beginning  of 
endless  happiness,  or  endless  misery.  Of  such  an 
existence  for  the  soul,  this  psalm  gives  clearer  inti- 
mations than  any  that  liave  preceded  it.  Hitherto 
in  the  psalms  human  immortality  has  been  seen  only 
through  a  veil:  in  this  psalm  the  veil  is  lifted.  It 
tells  us  that  the  grave  cannot  retain  the  soul,  and 
that  there  is  for  it  in  the  presence  of  God  fulness  of 
joy  and  pleasures  for  evermore.  It  is  this  revelation 
of  another  and  eternal  life  for  the  soul  that  gives  to 
this  psalm  its  title,  Michtam,  golden :  or,  as  others 
understand  the  word,  a  secret,  a  mystery,  a  doctrine 
of  profound  import.  Of  profound  import  indeed, 
revealing  human  immortality,  and  joys  in  reserve  for 
that  immortality,  such  as  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  nor  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  con- 
ceive. It  is  in  this  sense,  that  of  a  doctrine  of  pro- 
found import  about  to  be  revealed,  that  St.  Paul 
says  of  the  everlasting  life  of  the  body,  "  Behold,  I 
show  you  a  mystery;  we  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we 
shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump:  for  the  trumpet  shall 
sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible, 
and  we  shall  be  changed.  For  this  corruptible  must 
put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on 
immortality."  1  Cor.  xv.  51-53.  It  would  seem 
that  it  was  in  view  of  the  dangers  besetting  the 


PSALM   XVI.  177 

immortal  life  in  reserve  for  his  soul,  that  David  cries 

out,  "Preserve  me,  O   God:   for  in  thee  do  I  put 

my  trust." 

Verse  2.     0  my  soul,  tliou  hastr  said  unto  tlie  Lord,  Tliou  art 
my  Lord :  my  goodness  extendeth  not  to  thee. 

"  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee'?  and  there  is 
none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee,"  is  the 
language  of  David's  soul,  the  language  of  his  inmost 
being,  the  one  feeling  that  absorbs  every  other.  He 
knows  in  whom  he  has  trusted,  and  is  persuaded  that 
he  is  able  to  keep,  for  time  and  eternity,  that  which 
he  hath  committed  unto  him — ^liis  soul.  He  feels 
that  his  soul  has  in  the  Lord  all  that  it  needs.  The 
language  of  his  heart  is.  Thou  wilt  guide  me  with 
thy  counsel,  and  afterwards  receive  me  to  glory. 
The  prospered  husbandman's  choice  for  his  soul,  was 
this  world's  goods.  He  said  to  his  soul,  "  Soul,  thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years:  take  thine 
ease;  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."  David's  choice  for 
his  soul,  was  the  Lord: — the  great  Fountain  of  good: 
not  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years,  but  an  all- 
sufficing  good  for  eternity.  He  chose  an  immortal 
good  for  an  immortal  nature:  an  inexhaustible  good 
for  a  nature  that  will  ever  have  wants  to  be  supplied. 
David  was  conscious,  too,  that  he  had  no  good  of  his 
own,  no  element  of  eternal  happiness  in  himself,  no 
moral  excellence  not  derived  from  above.  "  My 
goodness,"  says  he  to  his  Maker,  "  extendeth  not  to 
thee :"  that  is,  I  can  do  nothing  to  increase  thy  essen- 
tial glory  and  happiness,  and  so  merit  good  at  thy 
hands.  Others,  however,  understand  the  original 
words  to  mean,  My  good  is  not  without  thee,  is  from 


178  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

thee,  is  thy  gift.    This  is  the  teaching  of  our  twenty- 
first  hymn : 

"  Thou  all  our  works  in  us  hast  wrought, 
Our  good  is  all  divine  ; 
The  praise  of  every  holy  thought 
And  righteous  word  is  thine." 

This  is  the  teaching  also  of  St.  Paul,  where  he 
says,  "By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am."  These 
words  being  read  in  the  presence  of  the  holy  John 
Newton,  after  he  had  become  old  and  blind,  he 
uttered  the  following  affecting  soliloquy: — "I  am  not 
what  I  ought  to  be!  Ah!  how  imperfect  and  defi- 
cient! I  am  not  what  I  wish  to  be!  I  abhor  that 
which  is  evil,  and  would  cleave  to  that  which  is 
good!  I  am  not  what  I  hope  to  be!  Soon,  soon  I 
shall  put  off"  mortality,  and  wiih  mortality  all  sin  and 
imperfection.  Yet  though  I  am  not  what  I  ought  to 
be,  nor  what  I  wish  to  be,  nor  what  I  hope  to  be,  I 
can  truly  say  I  am  not  what  I  once  was,  a  slave  to 
sin  and  Satan;  and  I  can  heartily  join  with  the  apos- 
tle, and  acknowledge,  'By  the  grace  of  God  I  am 
what  I  am!'"  So,  too,  David  thought,  and  says,  in 
the  words,  "my  goodness  extendeth  not  unto  thee:" 
thou.  Lord,  who  art  my  soul's  chosen  and  chief  good, 
art  the  source  of  all  that  is  good  in  me. 

Verse  3.    But  to  the  saints  that  are  in  the  earth,  and  in  the  excel- 
lent, in  whom  is  all  my  delight. 

This  choosing  of  the  Lord  as  his  soul's  highest 
good,  and  only  source  of  unmixed  good,  and  commit- 
ting the  everlasting  welfare  of  his  soul  to  his  keep- 
ing, David  does  not  confine  to  himself,  but  extends 
to  God's  holy  ones  everywhere — to  the  saints  that 
are  in  the  earth,  and  to  the  excellent.     They  are 


PSALM   XVI.  179 

called  saints,  because  having  looked  to  God  for  help, 
he  has  made  them  holy.  They  are  called  excellent, 
because  God  has  adorned  them  with  the  moral  attri- 
butes of  his  own  nature;  because  he  has  renewed 
them  in  the  Divine  image  in  which  he  created  them. 
The  great  conservative  grace  of  the  soul,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  also  its  highest  ornament — holiness — has 
been  restored  to  them.  The  regenerating  and  sanc- 
tifying love  of  God  has  been  shed  abroad  in  their 
hearts  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  of  such  that  David 
says,  "  in  whom  is  all  my  delight."  Though  a  king 
at  the  time,  he  says  elsewhere,  "I  am  a  companion 
of  all  them  that  fear  the  Lord."  Ps.  cxix.  63.  The 
divine  beauty  of  holiness  attracted  David  wherever 
he  saw  it.  He  hailed  it  as  an  emanation  from  the 
great  uncreated  Source  of  light  and  goodness.  He 
delighted  in  all  whom  God  had  thus  honoured  and 
adorned. 

Verse  4.  Their  sorrows  shall  be  multiplied  that  hasten  after 
another  god:  their  drink-offorino-s  of  blood  will  I  not  offer, 
nor  take  up  their  names  into  my  lips. 

There  is  no  other  fact  more  incontrovertibly  estab- 
lished than  the  fact  that  idolatry  of  every  sort  is  a 
system  of  sorrows.  Forsaking  the  one  living  and 
true  God,  to  serve  other  gods,  has  written  the  scroll 
of  human  history,  within  and  without,  with  mourn- 
ing, lamentation,  and  woe.  The  command,  "thou 
shalt  have  no  other  gods  but  me,"  is  a  command 
grounded  in  the  nature  of  things,  and  the  necessities 
of  the  human  soul.  The  human  soul  cannot  have 
any  other  god,  without  piercing  itself  through  with 
many  sorrows.  The  moment  it  adopts,  as  the  object 
of  its  supreme  love  and  adoration,  any  other  being 


180  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

than  the  Lord  God,  it  begins  to  degenerate.  The 
result  is  the  same — degeneracy — where  the  attempt 
is  made  even  to  blend  with  the  worship  of  the  true 
God,  the  w^orship  of  other  beings.  Saint- worship  has 
proved  as  disastrous  to  human  progress,  as  the  wor- 
ship of  pagan  gods  and  heroes.  Italy  has  been  as 
sadly  degraded  by  Papal,  as  it  ever  was  by  pagan 
Eome.  Jupiter,  and  Venus,  and  Bacchus,  and  Mars, 
have  only  been  displaced  by  saints  as  little  entitled 
to  our  respect.  It  is  only  as  the  soul  chooses  for  its 
worship  an  object  of  supreme  excellence,  that  it  rises 
in  the  scale  of  moral  and  intellectual  dignity.  Such 
an  object  David's  soul  had  chosen  as  the  God  of  its 
worship:  "Their  drink-offerings  of  blood  will  I  not 
offer,  nor  take  up  their  names  into  my  lips."  Drink- 
offerings  of  wine  were  offered  by  the  Israelites ;  but 
all  such  offerings  of  blood  were  forbidden  them.  Lev. 
xvii.  9-14.  The  heathen,  however,  in  their  worship, 
both  drank  and  offered  blood.  It  will  be  recollected 
by  the  reader  of  history,  that  Cataline  pledged  his 
accomplices  in  a  goblet  of  blood,  binding  them  by 
fearful  oaths  to  the  performance  of  fearful  deeds,  pre- 
vious to  explaining  to  them  his  plan  for  the  massacre 
of  the  Roman  Senate  and  people.  Hannibal,  too,  is 
said  to  have  made  a  blood-drinking  vow.  We  have 
read  also  of  a  tyrant,  who,  piercing  his  enemies  with 
hot  irons,  and  gathering  the  blood  in  a  cup,  as  it 
flowed,  drank  one-half  of  it,  and  offered  up  the  other 
half  to  his  god.  These  illustrations  go  to  prove  that 
worshipping  other  gods  than  the  true  God,  degrades 
man  more  and  more,  until  the  words  brute  and  fiend, 
are  the  only  words  that  accurately  describe  him. 
Nothing  but  worshipping  the  true  God,  in  spirit  and 


PSALM    XVI.  181 

in  truth,  can  render  any  man  either  good  or  happy. 
This  is  taught  us  by  God  himself,  saying  to  all  those 
not  so  worshipping  him,  "Behold,  my  servants  shall 
eat,  but  ye  shall  be  hungry:  behold,  my  servants 
shall  drink,  but  ye  shall  be  thirsty:  behold,  my  ser- 
vants shall  rejoice,  but  ye  shall  be  ashamed:  behold, 
my  servants  shall  sing  for  joy  of  heart,  but  ye  shall 
cry  for  sorrow  of  heart,  and  shall  howl  for  vexation 
of  spirit."  Isa.  Ixv.  13,  14.  Verily,  "their  sorrows 
shall  be  multiplied  who  hasten  after  another  god." 

Verse  5.     The  Lord  is  the  portion  of  mine  inheritance  and  of 
my  cup :  thou  maintaiuest  my  lot. 

Having  divided  the  land  of  Canaan  among  the 
Israelites  by  lot,  and  set  apart  Aaron  to  the  work  of 
the  priesthood,  the  Lord  spake  unto  Aaron,  "Thou 
shalt  have  no  inheritance  in  their  land,  neither  slialt 
thou  have  any  part  among  them ;  I  am  thy  part  and 
thine  inheritance."  Exod.  xviii,  20.  David  alludes 
to  this  fact  in  the  words,  "The  Lord  is  the  portion  of 
mine  inheritance  and  of  my  cup."  There  is  a  fulness 
of  meaning  in  this  declaration,  that  other  words  can 
hardly  increase.  The  Lord  himself  is  mine  inherit- 
ance! The  Lord  himself,  with  all  his  infinite  attri- 
butes! It  is  as  if  David  had  said,  Am  I  weak^  The 
Lord's  omnipotence  is  mine,  to  do  for  me  all  that 
omnipotence  can  do.  Am  I  ignorant "?  His  infinite 
wisdom  is  mine,  to  teach  me.  Am  I  guilty?  His 
infinite  mercy  is  mine,  to  pardon  all  my  sins.  Am  I 
polluted]  His  infinite  holiness  is  mine,  to  cleanse 
me  from  all  my  impurities.  Would  any  injure  me? 
His  infinite  justice  is  mine,  to  avenge  my  wrongs. 
Am  I  poor  and  needy?  His  all-sufficiency  is  mine, 
to  supply  my  every  want.  Do  any  hate  me?  His 
16 


182  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

infinite  love  is  mine,  to  give  me  perfect  and  everlast- 
ing rest.  O  what  words  can  adequately  describe  the 
inheritance  that  the  believer  has  in  the  Lord  him- 
self!— an  inheritance  that  can  never  fail  him,  a  cup 
of  bliss  that  can  never  become  empty.  If  the  believer 
has  many  of  this  world's  goods,  he  enjoys  God  in 
them  all;  if  he  has  nothing,  he  still  enjoys  every- 
thing in  God.  His  happiness  can  no  more  be 
reached  and  destroyed,  than  He  can  be  reached  and 
destroyed  who  constitutes  it.  God  maintains  his  lot 
with  all  the  attributes  of  his  infinite  nature.  David 
may  well  add,  as  he  does  in  the  next  verse. 

Verse  6.     The  lines  are  fallen  unto  me  in  pleasant  places;  yea,  I 
have  a  goodly  heritage. 

A  goodly  heritage,  indeed!  Not  a  world,  nor  a 
universe  of  worlds,  but  the  Lord  and  Maker  of  all 
worlds!  Go  where  he  may,  he  is  still  in  pleasant 
places;  for,  go  where  he  may,  he  can  never  get 
beyond  the  bounds  of  his  heritage.  If  he  ascend  up 
into  heaven,  behold  his  heritage  is  there:  if  he  make 
his  bed  in  the  grave,  behold  his  heritage  is  there:  if 
he  take  the  wings  of  the  morning,  and  dwell  in  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  shall  his  herit- 
age lead  him,  and  his  right  hand  hold  him.  God  is 
everywhere,  and  God  is  the  believer's  heritage.  If 
prosperity  come,  it  is  a  pleasant  place;  if  adversity 
come,  it  is  a  pleasant  place ;  if  affliction  come,  it  is  a 
pleasant  place ;  if  death  come,  it  is  a  pleasant  place, 
for  the  believer  knows  that  all  things,  under  the 
direction  of  Him  whom  his  soul  has  chosen  for  its 
portion,  shall  work  together  for  his  good.  David's 
words  remind  one  of  Habakkuk,  declaring  that, 
though  he  should  be  stripped  of  every  earthly  com- 


PSALM   XVI.  183 

fort,  he  still  would  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  and  joy  in 
the  God  of  his  salvation.  Hab.  iii.  18.  So  that  the 
Lord  was  still  left  him,  his  joy  should  know  no  abate- 
ment, knowing  that,  having  him  as  his  heritage,  no 
loss  could  impoverish  him. 

Verse  7.     I  will  bless  the  Lord,  who  hath  given  me  counsel;  my 
reins  also  instruct  me  in  the  night  seasons. 

The  counsel  given  him  by  the  Lord  is  the  revela- 
tion of  his  character  and  will,  contained  in  the  his- 
tory and  laws  of  Moses,  the  services  of  the  tabernacle, 
and  the  teachings  of  the  prophets.  It  was  as  the 
God  of  revelation  that  the  Lord  had  given  David 
counsel.  He  had  spoken  to  him  in  his  word,  telling 
him  who  he  is,  and  what  service  he  requires  of  his 
creatures.  He  had  spoken  to  him  in  the  services  of 
the  sanctuary.  AVhile  its  services  spoke  of  wrath, 
they  spoke  also  of  mercy ;  while  they  spoke  of  pol- 
lution, they  spoke  also  of  purity;  while  they  spoke 
of  sin,  they  also  shadowed  forth  the  atonement  to  be 
made  for  sin.  All  the  services  of  the  sanctuary  pre- 
figured the  grace  that  was  to  come  to  us  through  the 
gospel.  The  victim  that  bled,  prefigured  the  victim 
that  would  afterwards  bleed  upon  Calvary.  The  fire 
that  descended  from  heaven  to  consume  the  sacrifice, 
prefigured  the  wrath  of  God  that  would,  for  man's 
sake,  descend  upon  his  own  Son,  and  burn  into  his 
soul,  until  justice  itself  would  cry  out,  Hold,  enough! 
The  water  used,  prefigured  the  purifying  efficacy  of 
the  Divine  Spirit,  creating  within  us  clean  hearts, 
and  renewing  within  us  right  spirits.  The  incense 
mingled  with  so  many  sacrifices  and  ofi'erings,  pre- 
figured the  precious  merits  of  Him  whose  merits, 
perfuming  our  worship,  would  render  all  our  offer- 


184  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ings  pleasant  and  acceptable  unto  his  Father.  David 
no  doubt  saw  all  these  things  in  the  letter  of  the  law 
and  the  types  of  its  services — saw  those  types  as  a 
veil  thrown  around  Christ,  yet  a  veil  so  transparent 
to  him,  that  he  saw  Christ  through  it.  It  is  a  mis- 
take to  suppose  that  the  devout  worshipper  of  the 
tabernacle  and  temple  did  not  see  the  Divine  sub- 
stance in  the  shadow.  Christ  himself  says,  "Abraham 
rejoiced  to  see  my  day;  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad." 
John  viii.  56.  And  the  light  of  revelation  enjoyed 
by  Abraham  was  dim  indeed  compared  with  that 
enjoyed  by  David. 

Nor  was  it  alone  by  the  written  word  and  signifi- 
cant type,  that  the  Lord  had  given  David  counsel  as 
to  the  way  of  life,  but  also  by  the  illuminations  of 
his  Holy  Spirit.  Hence  his  words,  "My  reins  also 
instruct  me  in  the  night  season."  These  words  indi- 
cate the  mysterious  movings  of  the  Divine  Spirit 
upon  David's  mind  and  heart,  (so  the  word  reins 
means,)  thoughts  and  feelings,  in  seasons  of  solitary 
retirement.  The  Divine  Spirit  would  come  to  him, 
having  been  engaged  during  the  day  in  the  study  of 
the  law  and  the  ritual  services  of  the  tabernacle,  to 
teach  him  the  spiritual  import  of  that  in  which  he 
had  been  engaged ;  to  enlighten  his  understanding 
to  perceive  the  truth,  and  to  open  his  heart  to  love 
and  embrace  it.  It  was  while  he  communed  with 
his  own  heart  upon  his  bed,  and  was  still,  that  the 
Divine  Spirit  brought  to  his  remembrance  all  things 
whatsoever  he  had  seen  and  heard,  opening  up  the  full 
spiritual  meaning  of  the  precept  and  the  rite,  the  law 
and  the  ceremony,  until  the  whole  became  to  David's 


PSALM  XVI.  185 

mind  luminous  with.  Divine  light,  and  prophetic  of  a 
perfect  and  everlasting  salvation  to  come. 

Verse  8.     I  have  set  the  Lord  always  before  me :  because  he  is 
at  my  right  hand,  I  shall  not  be  moved. 

The  Lord,  such  as  he  has  revealed  himself  to  me 
in  his  vrord,  and  in  the  services  of  his  house,  is 
always  before  me:  a  just  God,  and  yet  a  Saviour; 
just,  yet  justifying  him  that  belie veth;  commanding 
an  innocent  animal  to  be  slain  and  burned  upon  the 
altar,  to  remind  me  that  I  deserve  the  same  fate ;  and 
yet,  through  the  same  sacrifice,  also  carrying  my 
mind  forward  to  another  and  a  Divine  victim  to  be 
slain  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  "  Because  He  is  at  my 
right  hand,  I  shall  not  be  moved."  Surely,  the  God 
who  will  not  spare  his  own  Son,  but  in  due  time 
deliver  him  up  to  die  for  all,  cannot  refuse  me  any 
thing  else  necessary  to  secure  his  favour.  It  is  evi- 
dently God  in  Christ,  whom  David  sets  always  before 
him.  It  is  difficult  to  give  another  and  lower  meaning 
to  his  words.  It  is  only  as  he  is  seen  in  Christ  that 
God  can  become  to  a  guilty  creature  an  object  of 
love,  hope,  and  trust.  Out  of  Christ,  God  is  a  con- 
suming fire.  It  is  not  to  Sinai,  flashing  with  flames 
and  shaken  by  the  voice  of  the  Lawgiver,  that  the 
guilty  dare  to  go  for  shelter  and  safety,  but  only  to 
Calvary,  flowing  with  the  blood  that  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin.  To  Calvary,  through  the  operations  of 
a  lively  anticipative  faith,  David  had  betaken  him- 
self. 

Verse  9.     Therefore  my  heart  is  glad,  and  my  glory  rcjoiccth; 
my  flesh  also  shall  rest  in  hope. 

David's  assured  confidence  of  the  Divine  favour 
and  protection  fills  his  heart  with  gladness,  and  his 
16* 


186  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

soul  with  joy.  "My  glory  rejoiceth."  He  means  by 
his  glorij  the  purely  intellectual  and  rational  part  of 
his  nature.  This,  along  with  the  emotional  part  of 
it,  his  heart,  was  affected  by  his  faith.  The  faith  that 
makes  God  the  portion  of  the  soul,  engrosses  both 
the  rational  and  emotional  nature,  both  the  under- 
standing and  the  heart.  It  is  not  an  act  of  the  will 
alone,  nor  of  tlie  intellect  alone,  but  an  act  of  both 
together.  Reason  must  approve  what  the  will 
chooses,  and  in  order  to  its  choosing  it.  Such  was 
David's  fldth ;  both  his  rational  and  emotional  nature, 
both  his  reason  and  his  heart,  found  rest  and  happi- 
ness in  its  object.  Nor  did  his  faith  cause  him  to 
hope  well  for  his  soul  only,  but  also  for  his  body. 
Hence  his  words,  "  my  flesh  also  shall  rest  in  hope." 
These  words  certainly  sound  very  like  a  prediction 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  We  do  not  see  that 
any  other  meaning  can  be  given  to  them,  and  espe- 
cially when  we  read  in  the  next  verse, 

AVERSE  10.     For  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell;  neither  wilt 
thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption. 

It  is  true  that  this  verse  is  applied  by  St.  Peter, 
(Acts  ii.  27,  31,)  and  by  St.  Paul,  (Acts  xiii.  36,  37,) 
to  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  to  show  that  the  return 
of  his  soul  to  his  body,  before  the  latter  saw  corrup- 
tion, had  been  foretold.  As  found  in  our  English 
Bible,  and  also  in  the  Greek,  the  words,  "  thine  Holy 
One,"  are  in  the  singular  form:  in  the  most  approved 
copies  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  however,  the  words 
are  in  the  plural,  "  thine'  holy  ones."  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  real  conflict  between  the  two  renderings, 
inasmuch  as  the  resurrection  of  God's  "Holy  One," 
the  resurrection  of  his  own  Son,  was  the  beginning. 


PSALM   XVI.  187 

the  earnest,  and  the  guaranty  of  the  resurrection  of 
all  those  whose  nature  he  had  assumed.  His  resur- 
rection was  virtually  the  resurrection  of  all  holy  ones ; 
a  unity  embracing  within  itself  a  countless  plurality. 
This  idea  harmonizes  the  plural  form  of  the  predic- 
tion, with  the  singular  form  of  its  application.  "Holy 
ones"  shall  indeed  see  corruption,  but  not  to  remain 
under  its  dominion  for  ever:  they  shall  indeed  see  the 
grave,  but  not  to  remain  its  everlasting  prisoners. 
Their  jElesh  shall  rest  in  hope  to  rise. 

Verse  11.  Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life;  in  thy  presence 
is  fulness  of  joy;  at  thy  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  for 
evermore. 

It  has  often  been  said  by  those  not  over  friendly  to 
revelation,  that  human  immortality  and  eternal  life 
are  not  revealed  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures. 
How  any  can  read  the  sixteenth  psalm,  and  espe- 
cially the  last  verse  of  it,  and  still  make  such  a  decla- 
ration, we  are  unable  to  see.  It  is  indeed  true  that 
human  immortality  and  eternal  life  are  not  so  clearly 
revealed  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  as  they  are 
i'l  the  New.  It  is  the  gospel  that  brought  life  and 
immortality  into  light,  unobscured  by  even  a  shadow. 
It  is,  however,  taxing  our  credulity  too  heavily,  to 
ask  us  to  believe  that  David  did  not  expect  another 
and  better  life.  If  he  did  not,  what  mockery  is  there 
in  such  words  as  these  to  his  Maker,  "Thou  wilt 
show  me  the  path  of  life ;  in  thy  presence  is  fulness 
of  joy;  at  thy  right  hand  are  pleasures  for  evermore," 
We  urge  all  to  walk  in  the  way  of  life  that  God  hath 
showed;  to  seek  for  the  fulness  of  joy  and  the  plea- 
sures for  evermore,  which  he  hath  prepared  for  those 
who  serve  him  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son.     Choose 


188  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Christ  as  the  portion  of  your  souls,  and  you  Avill  pos- 
sess yourselves  of  a  good  that  will  never  fail  you,  and 
never  cease  to  satisfy.  He  was  God  manifested  in 
the  flesh,  and  the  soul  that  is  inwardly  united  to  the 
living  God,  nothing,  not  even  death  itself,  can  harm. 
Around  that  soul  arc  the  omnipotent  and  everlasting 
arms,  and  its  fountain  of  bliss  is  the  Infinite  Love. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XVII. 

Verse  1.     Hear  the  right,  0  Lord,  attend  unto  my  cry;  give  ear 
unto  my  prayer,  that  goeth  not  out  of  feigned  lips. 

That  God  may  hear  us  when  we  cry  unto  him,  we 
must  pray  for  a  right  thing  in  the  right  way.  If  we 
regard  iniquity  in  our  hearts,  the  Lord  will  not  hear 
us.  To  have  prayer  answered,  the  heart  must  be  in 
moral  harmony  with  the  petition  urged.  Accordingly, 
while  David  prays,  ''Hear  the  right,  O  Lord,"  he 
adds,  "  my  prayer  goeth  not  out  of  feigned  lips."  His 
heart,  and  his  whole  heart,  was  in  the  prayer  ofl'ered. 
He  asked  for  right  with  a  heart  in  love  with  right. 
In  affirming  that  his  prayer  proceeded  not  out  of 
feigned  lips,  David  does  not  claim  for  himself  sinless 
righteousness,  but  only  sincerity.  And  this  is  all 
that  any  man  can  claim,  namely,  that  he  truly  loves 
the  right  he  asks,  and  desires  that  God  may  be  glori- 
fied in  granting  it.  So  loving  right,  David  appeals 
to  the  righteous  Lord  to  vindicate  it  between  him 
and  all  who  would  injure  him.  We  learn  from  tliis 
verse,  that,  to  secure  the  Divine  co-operation  and  pro- 


PSALM    XVII.  189 

tection,  it  is  not  enough  that  we  advocate  a  righteous 
cause;  we  must  advocate  our  righteous  cause  with  the 
only  righteous  motive — that  is,  the  simple  desire  to 
please  and  glorify  God.  They  who  seek  only  their 
own  glory,  the  glory  of  their  country,  or  the  glory  of 
a  party,  in  advocating  a  righteous  cause,  cannot,  with 
any  reasonable  hope  of  being  favourably  answered, 
ask  God  to  help  them.  "God  heareth  not  sinners; 
but  if  any  man  be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  doeth 
his  will,  him  he  heareth."  John  ix.  31.  His  prayer 
goeth  not  out  of  feigned  lips. 

Verse  2.     Let  my  sentence  come  forth  from  thy  presence;  let 
thine  eyes  behold  the  things  that  are  equal. 

Not  claiming  for  himself  sinless  obedience,  nor  a 
nature  without  its  frailties,  but  only  evangelical 
righteousness,  uprightness  of  heart,  sincere  purpose 
to  promote  the  cause  of  truth  and  right,  David  asks 
that  his  sentence  may  come  forth  from  the  Divine 
presence;  that,  through  some  unmistakable  interpo- 
sition of  his  providence,  God  would  decide  the  con- 
test between  him  and  his  adversaries.  "Let  thine 
eyes  behold  the  things  that  are  equal."  David  here 
invites  Omniscience  to  investigate  the  justice  of  his 
cause,  and  scrutinize  the  motive  with  Avhich  he  had 
espoused  it.  He  asks  nothing  for  himself,  except  in 
so  far  as  he  is  identified  in  heart  and  soul  with  His 
cause,  the  cause  of  truth,  right,  and  righteousness. 
Nor  is  there  in  this  feeling  of  David  anything  of 
self-righteousness.  It  is  only  the  feeling  of  which 
St.  John  speaks — "  if  our  heart  condemn  us  not,  then 
have  we  confidence  towards  God."  1  John  iii.  21. 
And  again :  "  Herein  is  our  love  made  perfect,  that 
we  may  have  boldness   in   the   day  of  judgment." 


190  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

1  John  iv.  17.  David's  fearlessness  of  the  Divine 
sentence  was  not  the  result  of  conscious  innocence, 
but  the  result  of  a  conscious  participation  in  the 
merits  and  atonement  of  Christ.  It  was  a  feeling 
that  had  been  wrought  into  his  heart  by  the  regene- 
rating power  of  the  Divine  Spirit;  and  that  Spirit 
can  so  work  the  same  feeling  into  the  heart  of  the 
guiltiest  of  us,  that  we  too  can  look  forward  to  the 
Divine  sentence  in  our  own  case  with  the  same  confi- 
dence. Clothed  in  the  full  righteousness  of  Christ, 
and  filled  with  his  Spirit,  the  guiltiest  of  us  can  say, 
even  to  infinite  Justice,  "Let  my  sentence  come 
forth  from  thy  presence." 

Verse  3.  Tliou  hast  proved  mine  heart;  thou  hast  visited  me  in 
the  night;  thou  hast  tried  me,  and  shalt  find  nothing:  I  am 
purposed  that  my  mouth  shall  not  transgress. 

God  himself  had  proved  David;  had  tried  him  in 
the  night ;  had  set  him  to  examining  his  heart  when 
none  but  the  Divine  eye  could  see  him;  when  the 
external  world  no  longer  tempted  him  to  appear  to 
be  what  he  was  not;  when  conscience  gives  its  most 
unbiassed  decisions,  and  when  the  soul,  cut  off  from 
the  consideration  of  everything  but  its  own  history 
and  character,  stands  alone,  as  it  were,  looking  itself 
full  in  the  face.  It  is  solitude,  and  especially  the 
solitude  of  night,  that  gives  men  the  truest  views  of 
themselves.  Its  silence,  its  secresy,  and  its  security 
against  detection,  leave  the  soul  to  follow,  unre- 
strained, the  real  bent  of  its  own  character.  Vice, 
like  wild  beasts  of  prey,  shunning  the  light  and  the 
day,  ravins  at  night.  Yet,  coming  to  him  even  at 
night,  and  searching  into  his  heart  with  the  gaze  of 
Omniscience,  God  found  nothing  in  David's  heart  to 


PSALM   XVII.  191 

reprove ;  no  trace,  no  vestige  of  the  particular  sins  of 
which  his  enemies  had  accused  him.  And  this  is  all 
that  David  claims  for  himself — not  universal  right- 
eousness, but  only  entire  freedom  from  certain  speci- 
fied sins  laid  to  his  charge.  In  this  limited  claim, 
his  mouth  had  not  transgressed,  his  words  had  not 
gone  beyond  the  real  feelings  of  his  heart.  And  so 
it  is  with  many  a  believer;  he  cannot  lay  claim  to 
universal  righteousness — he  can,  however,  claim  en- 
tire freedom  from  many  things  laid  to  his  charge, 
and  appeal  to  the  omniscient  Searcher  of  hearts  to 
attest  the  truth  of  his  claim.  To  visit  one  in  the 
night,  sometimes  means  to  visit  with  affliction.  So 
understood,  David's  words  teach  us  that  even  afflic- 
tion, which  so  often  weakens  and  destroys  other  men's 
integrity,  had  only  strengthened  his,  and  rendered 
it  more  conspicuous.  Fires  had  not  consumed  him, 
but  only  shown  that,  in  regard  to  the  things  laid 
to  his  charge,  he  had  not  anything,  not  even  dross, 
to  be  consumed. 

Verse  4.     Concerning  the  works  of  men,  by  the  word  of  thy  lips 
I  have  kept  me  from  the  paths  of  the  destroyer. 

The  works  of  men  here  referred  to,  are  the  works 
of  unregenerate  men,  of  men  yet  in  their  sins,  loving 
sin,  serving  sin,  in  bondage  to  sin; — the  works  of 
men — the  entire  spirit,  principles,  and  practices  of 
the  world — living  for  self,  indulging  self,  avenging 
self,  rendering  evil  for  evil,  and  often  evil  for  good ; 
and,  in  so  doing,  so  wasting  self,  and  each  other,  that 
every  man  so  living  is  called  a  destroyer.  David  had 
in  him  by  nature  the  same  bias  to  evil  as  other  men 
have,  the  same  root  of  every  evil  work,  but  he  had 
restrained  it,  and  given  his  better  nature  the  ascend- 


192  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ency.     Plow'?     He  answers,  "by  the  word  of  thy  lips 

I  have  kept  me  from  the  paths  of  the  destroyer." 

He  had  cleansed  his  way  of  the  sins  that  defiled  other 

men's  ways,  by  taking   heed   thereto   according   to 

God's  word.    He  lived  a  pure  life,  because  he  walked 

by  a  pure  rule,  and  prays  the  Lord  that  he  may  not 

be  left  to  deviate  from  that  pure  rule — saying  in  the 

next  verse, 

Verse  5.     Hold  up  my  goings  in  tliy  paths,  tliat  my  footsteps 
slip  not. 

How  merciful  a  God  is  ours !  If  he  impose  a  law, 
he  gives  us  grace  to  keep  it ;  if  he  enjoin  a  duty,  he 
gives  us  the  strength  necessary  to  perform  it.  David 
knew  this,  and  hence,  to  enable  him  to  walk  by  a 
Divine  rule,  he  asks  for  Divine  help.  "  Hold  up  my 
goings  in  thy  paths;  work  within  me  both  to  will 
and  to  do  the  things  required  by  thy  law.  That  my 
footsteps  slip  not,  make  me  pure  within,  and  put  thy 
Spirit  within  me,  and  so  cause  me  to  walk  in  thy 
statutes,  and  keep  thy  judgments,  and  do  them." 
God  is  not  a  hard  master,  reaping  where  he  has  not 
sown,  and  gathering  where  he  has  not  strewed.  He 
strengtheneth  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner 
man,  all  those  sincerely  endeavouring  to  live  accord- 
ing to  his  laws.  There  are  eminent  critics,  however, 
who  give  another  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  of  the 
fifth  verse,  namely,  "My  steps  have  laid  hold  of  thy 
j)aths,  my  feet  have  not  swerved."  This  rendering 
would  make  out  of  the  original,  not  a  prayer  for 
moral  strengthening,  but  a  still  further  afiirmation 
by  David  of  his  integrity,  of  his  entire  sincerity — 
not  saying  more  than  he  felt. 


PSALM    XVII.  198 

Verses  6,  7.  I  have  called  upon  thee,  for  thou  wilt  hear  me,  0 
God:  incline  thine  ear  unto  me,  and  hear  my  speech. 
Show  thy  marvellous  loving-kindness,  0  thou  that  savcst  by 
thy  right  hand  them  which  put  their  trust  in  thee  from  them 
that  rise  up  against  them. 

It  is  first  as  to  a  prayer-hearing  God  that  David 
appeals  unto  God  here;  and  then  as  the  Saviour  of 
all  those  who  trust  in  him.  "  Show  thy  marvellous 
loving-kindness:"  put  forth  some  special  manifesta- 
tion of  thy  power  to  encourage  me,  and  silence  mine 
adversaries.  God's  right  hand  is  ever  in  reserve  for 
the  defence  of  all  those  who  hope  in  his  mercy.  For 
their  sakes  he  is  a  prayer-hearing  God,  to  answer 
their  prayers  by  any  exercise  of  his  omnipotence  that 
their  necessities  may  require.  Every  cry  of  theirs 
for  help  enters  into  his  ear,  and  sinks  down  into  his 
heart,  as  a  cry  that  must  be  answered.  His  whole 
nature  is  excited  into  the  intensest  activity  by  the 
cry  of  those  striving  to  be  righteous  as  he  is  right- 
eous, holy  as  he  is  holy.  Such  a  striving  after  holi- 
ness and  righteousness  identifies  them  with  him,  and 
him  with  them,  and  makes  of  both  but  one. 

Verses  8,  9.  Keep  me  as  the  apple  of  the  eye,  hide  me  under 
the  shadow  of  thy  wings,  from  the  wicked  that  oppress  me, 
from  my  deadly  enemies,  who  comj^ass  me  about. 

The  world  is  no  friend  to  righteousness;  its  spirit 
cannot  endure  the  restraints  that  holiness  imposes 
upon  its  workings.  Hence  the  world's  hostility  to 
all  those  who  live  truly  godly  lives.  So  David  com- 
plains. The  wicked  oppress  me,  my  deadly  enemies, 
enemies  against  the  soul,  compass  me  about.  These 
words,  however,  had  their  more  signal  fulfilment  in 
the  experience  of  the  Son  of  David.  He  was  verily 
"oppressed"  by  the  wicked,  and  "compassed  about" 
17 


194  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

by  deadly  enemies,  experiencing  nothing  but  evil, 
where  he  should  have  experienced  nothing  but  good. 
It  is  from  such  men  that  David  prays,  "Keep  me  as 
the  apple  of  the  eye,  hide  me  under  the  shadow  of 
thy  wings."  There  is  thought  by  some  to  be  in  both 
these  images  an  allusion  to  God's  tender  care  of 
Israel  in  his  forty  years  wanderings  between  Egypt 
and  the  land  of  promise.  "  He  found  him  in  a  desert 
land,  and  in  the  waste  howling  wilderness;  he  led 
him  about,  he  instructed  him,  he  kept  him  as  the 
apple  of  his  eye.  As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her 
nest,  fluttereth  over  her  young,  spreadeth  abroad 
her  wings,  taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings ; 
so  the  Lord  alone  did  lead  Israel,  and  there  was  no 
strange  god  with  him."  Deut.  xxxii.  10-12.  To 
understand  the  full  force  of  keeping  one  as  the  apple 
of  the  eye,  it  is  necessary  to  consider,  first,  how  the 
whole  eye  is  protected,  sheltered  by  bones  and  sinews, 
opening  and  closing  doors,  light-softening  and  dust- 
excluding  curtains;  and  then  that  the  pu^il  of  the 
eye,  located  farther  in,  is  protected  by  guardians 
equally  wonderful  and  peculiarly  its  own.  There  is 
no  other  part  of  the  human  body  so  wonderfully  pro- 
tected, and  no  other  part  that,  when  endangered,  we 
so  instinctively  try  to  shelter  from  harm.  And  so 
God  guards  his  people,  as  tenderly  as  we  guard  the 
pupil  of  our  eye:  yea,  as  tenderly  as  he  guards  the 
pupil  of  his  own  eye.  So  saith  Zechariah,  "He  that 
toucheth  you,  toucheth  the  apple  of  his  eye."  Zech. 
ii.  8.  So  too,  to  understand  the  full  force  of  the 
words,  "  hide  me  under  the  shadow  of  thy  wings,"  it 
is  necessary  to  consider  the  habits  of  a  parent  bird, 
sheltering  her  young  under  her  wings,  alike  from 


PSALM   XVII.  195 

the  heat  and  the  cold,  the  storm  and  the  enemy  that 
would  destroy  them.  It  matters  not  what  it  may 
cost  her,  the  parent  bird  never  fails  to  hide  her  young 
imder  the  shadow  of  her  wings.  How  touchingly 
the  Saviour  applies  this  image  to  himself,  saying, 
"  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  pro- 
phets, and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee,  how 
often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together  as 
a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and 
ye  would  not."  So  illustrated,  what  beauty  and  ten- 
derness are  there  in  David's  words,  "keep  me  as  the 
apple  of  the  eye,  hide  me  under  the  shadow  of  thy 
wings." 

Verse  10.     Tliey  are  inclosed  in  their  own  fat:  with  their  mouth 
they  speak  proudly. 

To  be  enclosed  in  one's  own  fat,  means  to  be 
wrapped  up  in  pride  and  self-complacency,  the  effect 
upon  weak  and  ignoble  minds  of  worldly  prosperity. 
It  is  said  that  the  purely  fatty  part  of  the  human 
body,  having  no  nerves  of  sensation,  can  be  cut  and 
pierced  without  experiencing  any  feeling  of  pain. 
Hence,  in  Scripture  phraseology,  to  say  that  one's 
heart  is  fat,  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  it  is  hard  and 
insensible,  void  of  moral  and  sympathetic  feeling, 
and  not  to  be  affected  by  any  appeal  made  to  its  pity, 
or  sense  of  right.  It  indicates  a  haughtiness  and 
insolence  of  bearing  towards  others  hard  to  be  borne. 
Alas!  how  a  little  worldly  elevation  sometimes 
changes  the  best  character  into  the  worst!  How  it 
renders  the  man  proud,  who  before  was  humble;  the 
heart  hard,  which  before  was  tender!  To  be  deliv- 
ered from  the  tender  mercies  of  mindless  wealth,  of 
heartless  prosperity,  is  a  prayer  that  others  besides 


196  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

David  have  breathed  into  the  ear  of  Divine  mercy. 
It  was  not  the  poor,  but  the  proud,  the  prosperous, 
the  high  in  station  and  authority,  that  chased  the  Son 
of  God  to  the  cross  and  reviled  him  there. 

Verses  11,  12.  They  have  now  compassed  us  in  our  steps, 
(1  Sam.  xxiii.  26 :)  they  have  set  their  eyes  bowing  down  to 
the  earth;  like  as  a  lion  that  is  greedy  of  his  prey,  and  as  it 
were  a  young  lion  lurking  in  secret  places. 

The  eagerness  with  which  David's  foes  sought  his 
destruction,  is  here  compared  to  the  eagerness  of  a 
lion  seeking  his  prey,  of  a  lion  on  the  trail  of  his 
game,  having  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  earth  to  detect 
every  print  of  its  foot,  to  track  it  along  every  path  it 
may  have  taken.  It  was  thus  that  Saul  hunted 
David,  tracking  him  from  the  city  to  the  wilderness, 
from  the  wilderness  to  the  rocks  of  the  wild  goats, 
and  from  the  rocks  of  the  wild  goats  to  the  wilder- 
ness again.  1  Sam.  xxiv.  2 ;  xxvi.  2.  It  was  thus,  too, 
that  the  Jews  hunted  down  the  Son  of  David,  track- 
ing him  wherever  he  went,  and  also  laying  wait  for 
him,  like  a  lion  lurking  in  secret  places  for  his  prey. 
No  lion  ever  sought  the  blood  of  his  prey  more 
eagerly  than  the  Jews  sought  the  blood  of  their  Mes- 
siah. And  let  none  of  us  suppose  that,  if  we  had 
lived  in  the  days  of  the  Saviour,  we  would  not  have 
persecuted  him  as  the  Jews  did.  As  face  answereth 
to  face  in  water,  so  answereth  the  heart  of  man  to 
man.  The  Jew's  heart  was  only  a  human  heart:  no 
worse  by  nature  than  it  is  found  in  the  bosom  of 
every  descendant  of  Adam.  Goodness  has  always 
been  hunted  down  and  preyed  upon  by  wickedness, 
where  wickedness  has  not  been  restrained  by  the 
grace  or  providence  of  God.     It  is  due  alone  to  his 


PSALM   XVII.  197 

grace  and  providence  that  righteousness  has  not  alto- 
gether disappeared  from  the  earth.  There  is  a  roar- 
ing lion  on  the  track  of  every  one  of  us,  panting 
to  devour  us,  and  he  would  devour  us,  if  God  did 
not  restrain  him.   1  Pet.  v.  8. 

Verses  13,  14.  Arise,  0  Lord;  disappoint  him,  cast  him  down: 
deliver  my  soul  from  the  wicked,  which  is  thy  sword :  from 
men  which  are  thy  hand,  O  Lord,  from  men  of  the  world, 
which  have  their  portion  in  this  life,  and  whose  belly  thou 
fillest  with  thy  hid  treasure;  they  are  full  of  children,  and 
leave  the  rest  of  their  substance  to  their  babes. 

This  is  an  appeal  to  the  Divine  rectitude.  David 
knows  that  his  prayer  will  be  heard  only  as  he  loves 
and  imitates  that  rectitude  himself.  And  even  in 
praying  God  to  deliver  him  from  the  wicked,  he 
acknowledges  that  the  wicked  are  God's  sword,  and 
men  of  the  world  his  hand,  to  correct  for  sin.  Know- 
ing, however,  God's  unchanging  favour  to  those  hun- 
gering and  thirsting  after  righteousness,  David  asks, 
if  he  needs  correction,  that  it  may  be  administered, 
not  by  the  wicked,  but  by  God  himself.  He  knew 
that  God  could  be  moved  to  pity  and  to  spare  when 
the  wicked  would  not.  If  this  is  the  thought  that 
was  in  David's  mind,  it  is  the  same  that  was  in  his 
mind  when,  to  correct  him  for  his  pride  in  taking 
the  census  of  his  people,  the  Lord  required  him  to 
choose  either  seven  years'  famine,  or  three  months' 
flight  before  his  enemies,  or  three  days'  pestilence, 
and  David  answered,  "  Let  us  fall  now  into  the  hands 
of  the  Lord,  for  his  mercies  are  great;  and  let  me  not 
fall  into  the  hand  of  man.  So  the  Lord  sent  a  pesti- 
lence." 2  Sam.  xxiv.  14,  15.  In  the  hand  of  a  mer- 
ciful God,  the  pestilence  was  less  to  be  dreaded  than 
the  sword  in  the  hand  of  merciless  man.  But  more 
17* 


198  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

than  ever  are  the  wicked  the  sword  of  God,  when,  to 
punish  them  for  their  sins,  he  lets  them  loose  upon 
each  other,  as  he  did  the  heathen  nations  of  old,  and 
the  French  in  their  great  Ilevohition.  From  such, 
and  also  from  men  of  the  world,  David  prays  to  be 
delivered. 

"Men  of  the  world,  who  have  their  portion  in  this 
life !"  What  more  appalling  words  can  be  found  in 
the  Bible!  And  who  are  men  of  the  world "? — all 
who  have  imbibed  the  spirit  of  the  world,  and  live 
according  to  the  principles  of  the  world;  all  who 
seek  no  good  for  themselves  but  such  as  this  world 
can  bestow,  and  no  honours  but  such  as  this  world 
can  confer.  They  may  be  clothed  in  purple  and  fine 
linen,  and  fare  sumptuously  every  day — but  they 
have  their  portion  in  this  life ;  this  life  ended,  there 
remains  for  them  nothing  but  the  rich  man's  bed  of 
flame  and  burning  tongue.  They  may  have  much 
goods  laid  up  for  many  years,  wherein  to  take  their 
ease;  to  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry — but  their  portion 
is  in  this  life.  And  when  the  soul  is  required  of  them, 
whose  shall  those  things  be  which  they  have  pro- 
vided'? Their  children's'?  Yes — and,  if  you  please, 
even  their  children's  children's,  for  some  so  render  the 
latter  part  of  the  verse — thus:  "Their  sons  shall  be 
full" — that  is,  satisfied — "  and  leave  their  residue  to 
their  babes."  They  have  enough  for  themselves, 
and  for  their  children,  and  for  their  children's  child- 
ren; and  yet  their  portion  is  all  in  this  life;  there 
remains  to  them  in  the  world  to  which  they  have 
gone  but  one  wish  in  regard  to  their  surviving  fami- 
lies, and  that  wish  is,  that  they  could  send  some  one 
from  the  dead  to  warn  them,  lest  their  families  also 


PSALM    XVII.  199 

should  come  to  their  place  of  torment.  So  the  rich 
man  wished,  and  so  many  a  man  of  the  world  has 
wished  that  he  could  warn  his  family.  O,  if  he  could 
only  see  them  once  more,  or  send  but  a  single  mes- 
sage back  to  them,  how  different  an  estimate  would 
he  teach  them  to  place  upon  this  world!  He  would 
tell  them  in  such  tones  of  anguish  as  no  earthly  tones 
can  imitate,  what  it  is  to  have  all  our  good  things 
here !  God,  in  mercy,  save  us  all  from  being  men  of 
the  world,  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life !  "  For 
what  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  should  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  souH" 

Verse  15.     As  for  me,  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness: 
I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness. 

However  much  the  wicked  may  be  prospered,  and 
the  righteous  depressed,  David  is  persuaded  that  God 
will  in  due  time  vindicate  the  righteous  and  his  own 
righteousness.  Hence  his  words,  "As  for  me,  I  shall 
behold  thy  face  in  righteousness."  AVhatever  clouds 
may  hang  over  the  Divine  providence  in  its  present 
treatment  of  the  good  man  and  the  man  of  the  world, 
David  is  convinced  that  those  clouds  will  ultimately 
be  dissipated.  The  seeming  severity  of  the  Divine 
providence  towards  the  good  man  never  destroys  his 
faith  in  a  final  adjustment  of  all  present  inequalities. 
He  forgets  not,  in  the  darkest  hour  of  his  history, 
that  a  book  of  remembrance  is  written  before  the 
Lord  for  them  that  fear  Him,  and  think  upon  his 
name ;  and  that  the  Lord  hath  said,  "  they  shall  be 
mine  in  that  day  when  I  make  up  my  jewels,  and  I 
will  spare  them  as  a  man  spareth  his  own  son  that 
serveth  him."  In  that  day  the  good  man  will  dis- 
cern between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  between 


200  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

him  that  servcth  God  and  him  that  serveth  him  not. 
It  is  his  thorough  conviction  of  this — namely,  that 
God  will  at  last  show  that  he  hath  done  all  things 
right,  that  determines  David,  whatever  may  be  the 
complexion  of  his  outward  affairs,  still  to  serve  God 
in  righteousness;  not  to  allow  the  prosperity  of  the 
man  of  the  world,  nor  the  adversity  of  the  good  man, 
to  betray  him  into  believing  that  God  is  not  a  right- 
eous God,  and  the  rewarder  of  righteousness  in  his 
creatures.  "I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with 
thy  likeness."  In  these  words  David  evidently  re- 
fers to  the  portion  of  those  whose  portion  is  not  in 
this  life — to  the  portion  of  those  whose  portion  is 
fulness  of  joy,  and  pleasures  for  evermore  in  the  pre- 
sence of  God.  It  was  not  for  an  earthly,  but  for 
a  heavenly  portion  that  David's  soul  hungered  and 
thirsted.  He  panted  to  be  like  to  his  God  in  know- 
ledge and  true  holiness.  The  words,  "I  shall  be 
satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness,"  teach 
the  doctrine  so  clearly  taught  in  the  New  Testament, 
that,  to  be  qualified  for  heaven,  we  must  be  renewed 
in  the  image  of  God.  It  is  only  as  the  image  of  God 
is  drawn  anew  in  the  soul,  that  it  becomes  capable 
of  eternal  happiness.  "  Except  a  man  be  born  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God."  "Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto 
thee.  Ye  must  be  born  again."  These  are  the  words 
of  Him  who  redeemed  us  with  his  blood,  assuring  us 
that,  unless  his  Spirit  also  renew  us,  we  can  never 
see  the  bliss  of  heaven,  and  are  incapable  of  it.  And 
yet  he  who  redeemed  us,  tells  us  that  the  divine 
Spirit  is  free  to  all  who  ask  it  in  His  name.  Let  us 
all  then  seek  His  regenerating  and  sanctifying  influ- 


PSALM    XVIII.  201 

ences — those  influences  that  unite  the  soul  to  Christ 
as  the  branch  is  united  to  the  vine,  to  be  constantly 
receiving  spiritual  life  and  nourishment  from  his 
fulness.  So  united  to  Christ,  the  weakest  of  us  may 
dread  the  Divine  judgment  as  little  as  David  dreaded 
it,  and,  sustained  by  our  divine  Redeemer,  descend 
even  into  the  sleep  of  death  and  the  grave,  repeating 
the  words  of  David,  "  As  for  me,  I  will  behold  thy 
face  in  righteousness;  I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I 
awake,  with  thy  likeness." 


LECTURE    ON  PSALM   XVIII.  1—27. 

Having  fought  the  battle  of  life  nearly  to  its  close, 
and  been,  through  the  help  of  God,  successful  in 
every  conflict,  David  commemorates  his  manifold 
dangers  and  deliverances  in  the  psalm  before  us.  Its 
superscription  reads,  "A  Psalm  of  David,  the  servant 
of  the  Lord,  who  spake  unto  the  Lord  the  words  of 
this  song  in  the  day  the  Lord  delivered  him  from  the 
hand  of  all  his  enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  Saul." 
The  whole  psalm  is  found  also  in  the  twenty-second 
chapter  of  the  second  book  of  Samuel,  where  it  ap- 
pears with  several  variations;  but  none,  however, 
materially  changing  its  general  meaning.  The  psalm 
in  both  places  is  believed  to  have  been  composed  by 
David.  Its  form  in  Samuel  is  thought  to  be  best 
suited  to  making  it  a  part  of  David's  history;  its 
form  here  to  its  being  sung  in  the  public  worship  of 


202  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

God.  Which  of  the  two  is  the  original,  and  which 
the  copied  form,  we  cannot  decide;  nor  need  we,  to 
enable  us  to  perceive  at  once  that  it  is  one  of  the 
sublimest  poetical  and  devotional  effusions  of  even 
David's  inspired  pen.  The  psalm  opens  with  the 
words. 

Verse  1.  I  will  love  thee,  0  Lord,  my  strength. 
The  original  word  here  translated  love,  denotes  the 
strongest  and  tcnderest  form  of  that  affection — the 
form  of  it  that  glows  in  the  heart  of  an  affectionate 
child  towards  a  loving  and  beneficent  parent.  It  is 
love  animated  by  an  unceasing  sense  of  benefits 
received.  It  is  love  excited  by  love — the  love  of 
which  St.  John  speaks,  where  he  says,  "We  love 
Him,  because  he  first  loved  us."  1  John  iv.  19.  True 
love  to  God  is  not  a  cold  admiration  of  his  character: 
there  enters  into  it,  as  its  most  invigorating  element, 
a  grateful  and  affectionate  remembrance  of  benefits 
received.  It  is  in  this  sense  that  David  uses  the 
word  love,  when  he  says,  "  I  will  love  thee,  O  Lord, 
my  strength. 

Verse  2.  The  Lord  is  my  rock,  and  my  fortress,  and  my 
deliverer;  my  Grod,  my  strength,  in  whom  I  will  trust;  my 
buckler,  and  the  horn  of  my  salvation,  and  my  high  tower. 

David  here  adds  metaphor  to  metaphor,  figure  to 
figure,  to  describe  the  Being  whom  he  loves  so  ten- 
derly for  his  mercies  to  him.  The  Lord  is  his  rock, 
an  high  and  inaccessible  place,  to  which,  having  fled, 
none  can  reach  him: — the  Lord  is  his  fortress,  a 
muniment  of  enclosing  walls  on  every  side  round 
about  him: — the  Lord  is  his  deliverer,  an  active, 
intelligent,  and  omnipotent  friend,  ever  at  hand,  a 
very   present   help    in    trouble:  —  the   Lord   is   his 


PSALM    XVIII.  203 

strength,  his  stone,  or  stronghold  of  iindecaying 
strength,  whence,  having  taken  refuge  in  it,  no 
created  power  can  dislodge  him: — the  Lord  is  his 
buckler,  interposing  his  hand  between  him  and 
danger,  on  whatever  side  it  is  threatened : — the  Lord 
is  the  horn  of  his  salvation,  to  thrust  away  from  him 
every  assault  made  upon  him;  the  allusion  being  to 
those  animals  whose  power  both  of  attack  and  defence 
is  in  the  horn: — the  Lord  is  also  David's  high  tower, 
his  impregnable  citadel,  whence  he  can  securely  over- 
look and  destroy  all  those  who  would  approach  to 
destroy  him.  There  is  no  qualification  necessary  to 
constitute  a  perfect  defender,  that  David  does  not 
find  in  the  Lord.  In  his  infinite  attributes  is  every- 
thing he  needs.  He  therefore  loves  him,  trusts  in 
him,  and  asks  no  other  guardian.  Some  eminent 
critics  think  David's  words  in  this  second  verse  are 
addressed  to  Christ,  the  "Rock  of  Ages." 

Verse  3.     I  will  call  upon  the  Lord,  who  is  worthy  to  be  praised : 
so  shall  I  be  saved  from  mine  enemies. 

David  flees  to  the  Lord  as  his  only  refuge ;  not  as 
many  flee  to  him,  willing  to  flee  to  any  other  refuge, 
if  there  were  any  other  competent  to  aff'ord  them 
protection.  David  preferred  the  Lord  as  his  refuge 
and  deliverer,  to  all  others.  He  knew  the  Being  in 
whom  he  trusted,  that  he  was  "worthy  to  be  praised;" 
that  he  was  possessed  of  every  excellence  necessary 
to  constitute  him  an  all-sufficient  help.  To  pray  as 
we  ought,  and  so  as  to  be  heard,  we  must  address  our 
prayers  to  God  as  "worthy  to  be  praised;"  as  a  Being 
whose  excellence  we  understand.  "  I  will  call  upon 
the  Lord,  who  is  worthy  to  be  praised:  so  shall  I  be 
saved  from  mine  enemies."  It  is  calling  upon  the 
Lord,  with  a  full  understanding  and  loving  apprecia- 


204  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

tion  of  his  praisewortliy  character,  that  secures  us  his 
favour.  It  is  an  intelhgcnt,  loving,  and  praising 
faith,  a  faith  still  loving  and  praising  under  every 
dispensation  of  the  Divine  providence,  that  enlists 
the  Divine  power  upon  our  side. 

Verses  4,  5.  The  sorrows  of  death  compassed  me,  and  the  floods 
of  ungodly  men  made  me  afraid.  The  sorrows — [or,  as  the 
margin  has  it,  the  cords] — of  hell  compassed  me  about:  the 
snares  of  death  prevented  me. 

These  several  phrases,  "sorrows  of  death,"  "snares 
of  death,"  and  "cords  of  hell,"  indicate  the  most 
imminent  dangers,  and  the  sorest  mental  sufferings. 
The  authors  of  these  dangers  and  sufferings  were, 
David  tells  us,  ungodly  men,  laying  snares  for  him, 
as  hunters  lay  snares  for  game.  His  enemies  were 
as  floods  surrounding  him;  and  every  one  of  them 
had  either  spread  a  net  for  him,  or  stood,  as  it  were, 
with  noose  in  hand,  to  fling  around  him,  the  moment 
they  could  reach  him.  So  death  stands  round  every 
one  of  us,  lasso  in  hand,  to  bring  us  down.  The 
snares  of  death,  however,  never  beset  the  paths  of 
any  besides,  so  thickly  and  incessantly  as  they  beset 
the  paths  of  David,  and  the  Son  of  David.  No  sooner 
did  they  lay  claim  to  a  mission  from  God,  than  the 
ungodly  prepared  sorrows  indeed  for  them,  laid 
snares  for  them — Satan  himself,  in  the  case  of  the 
Son  of  David,  being  the  first  to  attempt  to  ensnare 
him — insomuch  that  each  of  them  continually  felt 
that  the  cords  for  lowering  them  into  the  grave  were 
being  drawn  around  them. 

Verse  6.  In  my  distress  I  called  upon  the  Lord,  and  cried  unto 
my  God :  he  heard  my  voice  out  of  his  temple,  and  my  cry 
came  before  him,  even  into  his  ears. 

The  man  whose  heart  has  been  touched  by  the 
regenerating  grace  of  God  has  but  one  refuge  in  dis- 


PSALM  XVIII.  205 

tress — the  mercy  of  his  God.  It  matters  not  from 
what  source  his  distress  arises,  whether  from  himself 
or  others,  or  from  the  hand  of  God,  his  refuge  is  the 
Lord.  If  he  is  weak,  he  knows  that  God  alone  can 
strengthen  him.  If  he  is  guilty,  he  knows  that  God 
alone  can  pardon  him.  If  he  is  wounded,  it  matters 
not  how  or  by  whom,  he  knows  that  God  alone  can 
heal  him.  If  he  is  in  danger,  he  knows  that  God 
alone  can  rescue  him.  If  he  has  sinned  against  Him, 
even  grievously,  he  still  flees  to  the  Lord  as  his  hope 
and  help — making  his  very  sins  an  argument  for  the 
exercise  of  the  Divine  mercy,  saying,  "Lord,  be  mer- 
ciful unto  me:  heal  my  soul,  for  I  have  sinned 
against  thee."  Ps.  xli.  4.  It  is  one  of  the  marvels  of 
Divine  grace  that  the  soul  which  has  been  touched 
by  its  regenerating  power,  will  allow  nothing,  not 
even  its  own  sins,  to  prevent  it  in  the  hour  of  distress 
from  calling  upon  the  Lord,  and  crying  unto  its  God, 
till  its  prayer  comes  before  him  and  enters  into  his 
ears. 

Verse  7.     Then  the  earth  shook  and  trembled:  the  foundations 
also  of  the  hills  moved  and  were  shaken,  because  he  was  wroth. 

Here  is  the  beginning  of  God's  answer  to  David's 
prayer  for  deliverance  from  his  enemies.  His  pre- 
sence in  wrath  is  indicated  by  the  shaking  and  trem- 
bling of  the  earth,  and  the  quaking  of  the  hills  to 
tlieir  foundations!  It  was  thus  that  the  earth  was 
moved  when  the  law  was  delivered  on  Sinai;  and 
thus  that  it  was  moved  when  the  law's  great  victim 
expired  on  Calvary.  The  convulsions  described  in 
this  verse  are  those  of  an  earthquake,  produced  by 
the  special  Divine  agency,  not,  however,  an  ordinary, 
but  a  volcanic  earthquake. 
18 


206  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS, 

Verse  8.     There  went  np  a  smoke  out  of  his  nostrils,  and  fire 
out  of  his  mouth  devoured :  coals  were  kindled  by  it. 

Here  the  convulsed  and  reeling  earth  sends  forth 
its  pent  up  elements  of  destruction,  smoke,  fire, 
and  burning  lava.  All,  however,  is  represented  as 
sent  forth  by  God  himself,  as  an  expression  of  his 
wrath,  as  the  smoking,  burning,  and  kindling  breath 
of  his  omnipotence. 

Verse  9.  He  bowed  the  heavens  also,  and  came  down:  and 
darkness  was  under  his  feet. 

The  belching  smoke  and  flames  soon  surcharge  the 
heavens  and  seem  to  bow  them  down  as  a  mass  of 
solid  darkness  to  the  very  earth.  This  deepening 
and  descending  darkness  looks  indeed  like  the  de- 
scent of  an  angry  God  on  a  mission  of  vengeance. 
None  but  those  who  have  witnessed  this  heralding 
stage  of  a  volcanic  storm,  can  fully  understand  the 
imagery.  It  seems  to  such,  using  language  none  too 
strong,  to  speak  in  every  part  of  it  as  the  movement 
of  an  angry  God,  beneath  whose  feet  is  the  dark, 
though,  as  yet,  silent  thunder-cloud. 

Verse  10.  And  he  rode  vipon  a  cherub,  and  did  fly;  yea,  he  did 
fly  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind. 

He  who  holds  the  winds  in  his  fist,  has  here  let 
them  loose.  Nor  do  they  move  as  inanimate  things, 
but  like  his  angels  that  excel  in  strength,  even  his 
cherubim,  who  do  his  commandments,  and  hearken 
imto  the  voice  of  his  word.  Neither  do  his  winds  go 
forth  alone:  He  himself  rides  upon  their  wings, 
directs  them  in  their  courses,  and  indues  them  with 
their  strength.  This  fearful  rush  of  winds  is  followed 
by  another  scene  in  course : 

Verse  11.  He  made  darkness  his  secret  place;  his  pavilion 
round  about  him  were  dark  waters  and  thick  clouds  of  the 
skies. 


PSALM  xviir.  207 

Clouds  dark  with  waters  surround  him  on  every 
side,  Uke  a  sable  tent,  clouds  charged  with  waters 
ready  to  empty  themselves  in  torrents  upon  the 
earth.  God  is  represented  in  another  place,  (1  Tim. 
vi,  16,)  as  dwelling  in  light  that  no  human  eye  can 
endure :  here  he  dwells  in  darkness  that  no  human 
eye  can  penetrate.  Darkness,  clouds,  and  thick 
darkness,  are  his  secret  place  and  pavilion.  Light, 
however,  here  permeates  the  scene,  but  a  fearful 
light. 

Verses  12,  13.  At  ilie  briglitness  that  was  before  him,  liis  thick 
clouds  passed,  hail-stoiies  and  coa'is  of  fire.  The  Lord  also 
thundered  in  the  heiivcQS,  and  the  Highest  gave  his  voice; 
hailstones  and  coals  of  fire. 

There  is  said  to  be  something  peculiarly  terrific  in 
an  oriental  thunder-storm.  Its  vivid  light  and  in- 
tense darkness,  succeeding  each  other  with  startling 
rapidity,  are  appalling.  This  is  indicated  in  the 
words,  "at  the  brightness  that  was  before  him,  his 
thick  clouds  passed;"  that  is,  passed  away.  So 
intense  is  the  light  of  the  lightning's  flash,  that  the 
whole  mass  of  dark  clouds  seems  to  pass  away,  and 
their  place  to  be  occupied  for  an  instant  by  a  mass  of 
solid  light,  shedding  its  beams  over  everything  upon 
the  earth  like  a  mid-day  sun.  The  light,  however,  is 
only  for  an  instant — and  then  a  darkness,  that  may  be 
felt,  shuts  up  the  whole  from  every  vision  but  His,  to 
whom  the  darkness  and  the  light  are  both  alike. 
Meanwhile  the  roar  of  the  thunder,  the  voice  of  the 
Most  High  in  the  clouds,  is  incessant;  the  lightnings 
flashing  from  cloud  to  cloud,  from  the  clouds  to  the 
earth,  and  from  the  earth  back  again  to  the  clouds. 
Moreover,  it  seems  as  if  He  who  measureth  the 
w^aters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand  had  poured  them 


208  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

out,  for  the  rain  descends  in  torrents,  mingled  at 
times  with  destructive  hail,  while  coals  of  fire,  halls 
of  meteoric  flame,  run  along  the  ground.  Exod. 
ix.  23. 

Verse  14.  Yea,  he  sent  out  his  arrows,  and  scattered  them ;  and 
he  shot  out  lightnings,  discomfited  them. 

It  is  not  at  random  that  God  allows  the  hail  to 
descend,  and  the  lightnings  to  play.  He  gives  to 
each  its  direction  and  its  object.  He  shoots  out 
his  lightnino^s  as  the  archer  shoots  his  arrow  from  its 
string,  with  definite  aim  and  unerring  precision.  He 
sees  his  mark,  and  never  misses  it.  No  shield  can 
turn  his  arrows  off,  nor  can  an  enemy  know  that  he 
has  been  shot  at,  till  the  arrow  pierces.  It  seems  to 
have  been  by  such  a  storm  as  here  described,  that  the 
Lord  discomfited  his  people's  enemies  at  Hebron, 
Josh.  X.  10,  11;  and  again  at  Mizpch,  1  Sam,  vii. 
10-12. 

Verse  15.  Then  the  channels  of  waters  were  seen,  and  the 
foundations  of  the  world  were  discovered  at  thy  rebuke,  0 
Lord,  at  the  blast  of  the  breath  of  thy  nostrils. 

As  David  began,  in  the  seventh  verse,  with  de- 
scribing the  incipient  convulsions  of  an  earthquake, 
he  ends  here  with  giving  us  its  final  eff'ects.  The 
channels  of  waters  were  seen — a  frequent  efi'ect  of 
volcanic  action  being  the  cleaving  of  the  earth  into 
fissures  that  reach  down  to  the  subterranean  reser- 
voirs, and  forcing  them  to  the  earth's  surface  in  over- 
flowing streams.  The  foundations  of  the  world,  its 
foundations  of  everlasting  rock,  were  discovered,  rent 
asunder,  and  thrown  to  the  earth's  surface,  "at  thy 
rebuke,  O  Lord,  at  the  blast  of  the  breath  of  thy 
nostrils."  He  maketh  a  channel  for  the  waters 
through  the  rocks,  and  a  passage  for  his  lightnings 


PSALM   XVIII.  209 

through  the  clouds,  with  the  same  ease.     A  breath 
of  his  accomplishes  both. 

Verse  16.     He  sent  from  above,  he  took  me,  lie  drew  me  out  of 
many  waters. 

Many  waters,  indeed!  Thick  clouds  of  the  skies 
pouring  themselves  down  in  deluging  torrents,  and 
the  great  channels  of  waters  underneath  the  earth 
rising  up  to  swell  the  flood !  These  many  waters, 
however,  only  represent  the  floods  of  ungodly  men, 
of  whom  David  has  spoken  before.  It  was  they  who 
had  caused  his  life  to  be,  as  it  were,  a  continuous 
volcanic  storm.  But  the  earthquake  which  they 
hoped  would  have  engulfed  him,  engulfed  them- 
selves ;  and  the  storm  they  raised  to  overwhelm  him, 
spent  its  fury  upon  their  own  heads.  The  Lord 
caused  their  violence  to  recoil  upon  themselves. 

Verse  17.     He  delivered  me  from  my  strong  enemy,  and  from 
them  which  hated  me :  for  they  were  too  strong  for  me. 

David  here  passes  from  the  highly  poetical  descrip- 
tion of  his  enemies,  dangers,  and  deliverances,  to  a 
more  quiet  and  literal  representation  of  them.  His 
*' strong  enemy"  was  probably  Saul;  and  they  that 
hated  him,  the  followers  of  Saul.  They  were  too 
strong  for  him  single-handed ;  but  not  too  strong  for 
him  with  the  Lord  on  his  side. 

Verse  18.     They  prevented  me  in  the  day  of  my  calamity;  but 
the  Lord  was  my  stay. 

David's  enemies  seized  upon  every  reverse  in  his 
fortunes  to  ruin  him — even  his  professed  friends,  in 
the  day  of  his  calamity,  would  have  betrayed  him. 
1  Sam.  xxiii.  12,  20.  Nevertheless,  in  the  midst  of 
open  enemies  and  secret  traitors, he  still  says,  "but  the 
Lord  was  my  stay."  No  man  ever  yet  made  the  Lord 
his  stay,  in  the  hour  of  temptation  and  trial,  and 
18* 


210  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

failed  of  his  assistance.     David  knew  this  from  expe- 
rience.    Hence  he  says  of  his  stay, 

Verse  19.  He  brought  me  forth  also  into  a  large  place:  he 
delivered  me,  because  he  delighted  in  me. 

From  dens,  and  caves,  and  mountain  fastnesses, 
where  he  had  long  been  obliged  to  conceal  himself 
for  safety,  the  Lord  had  brought  David  forth,  as  from 
a  prison,  into  the  open  air  and  largest  liberty,  having 
in  some  way  subdued  every  enemy  that  could  molest 
him  or  make  him  afraid.  All  this  the  Lord  had  done 
for  David,  because  he  delighted  in  him.  The  Lord 
delighted  in  David  for  his  integrity  and  uncompro- 
mising adherence  to  the  truth;  not  that  David  was 
without  sin,  but  that  he  was  sincere  in  all  his  pur- 
poses and  endeavours  to  serve  God.  Godly  sincerity 
can  never  fail  of  the  Divine  assistance  in  time  of 
need. 

Verse  20.  The  Lord  rewarded  me  according  to  my  righteous- 
ness; according  to  the  cleanness  of  my  hands  hath  he  recom- 
pensed me. 

It  was  because  of  the  general  rectitude  of  his  con- 
duct, that  the  Lord  had  delivered  David  from  his 
enemies,  and  placed  him  at  last  upon  the  throne. 
This  he  mentions,  not  in  a  spirit  of  self-righteousness, 
but  to  encourage  others  to  live  a  life  of  holy  obedi- 
ence to  the  will  of  God ;  this  being  the  path  of  safety 
and  salvation.  It  was  the  rendering  to  them  accord- 
ing to  their  ways  in  this,  that  made  all  the  difference 
between  the  Lord's  dealings  with  David  and  with  his 
enemies. 

Verses  21,  22.  For  I  hare  kept  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  and  have 
not  wickedly  departed  from  my  God.  For  all  his  judgments 
were  before  me,  and  I  did  not  put  away  his  statutes  from  me. 

Here  is  David's  righteousness,  according  to  which 
the  Lord  had  rewarded  him.     It  is  the  righteousness 


PSALM   XVIII.  211 

of  sincerely  endeavouring  to  live  according  to  the 
laws  of  God.  These  laws  David's  enemies  repudi- 
ated—he did  his  best  to  obey  them.  For  this  the 
Lord  rewarded  him,  even  when,  in  every  instance  of 
obedience,  it  was  his  own  grace  that  enabled  David 
to  will  and  to  do  as  he  did. 

Verse  23.   _  I  was  also  upright  before  him,  and  I  kept  myself 
from  mine  iniquity. 

In  claiming  to  be  upright  before  the  Lord,  David 
means,  that  he  had  never  abjured  his  service.  This 
praise  God  himself  accords  to  him,  saying,  "My  ser- 
vant David  kept  my  commandments,  and  followed  me 
with  all  his  heart,  to  do  that  only  which  was  right  in 
mine  eyes,  .  .  .  save  only  in  the  matter  of  Uriah  the 
Hittite."  1  Kings  xiv.  8;  xv.  5.  "I  have  kept  my- 
self from  mine  iniquity;"  the  iniquity  into  which  I 
am  by  nature  most  liable  to  fall.  Happy  is  the  man 
who,  like  David,  conscious  to  himself  of  general  rec- 
titude, of  labouring  to  have  a  conscience  void  of 
offence  towards  God,  and  towards  man,  has,  among 
his  other  transgressions,  only  one  great  and  deplora- 
ble sin,  casting  its  chilling  shadow  over  him!  How 
earnestly  should  every  man  strive  to  keep  himself 
from  his  iniquity,  from  the  sin,  whatever  it  may  be, 
which  doth  most  easily  beset  him! 

Verse  24.     Therefore  hath  the  Lord  recompensed  me  accordij.r. 
to  my  righteousness,  according  to  the  cleanness  of  my  hands 
■"        in  his  eye-sight. 

This  is  the  sentiment  of  the  twentieth  verse  lite- 
rally repeated;  and  both  verses  are  only  a  simple 
declaration  that  God,  in  his  dealings  with  men,  makes 
a  difference  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked, 
in  favour  of  the  righteous.  "The  ground,"  it  has 
been  said,  "on  account  of  which  David  here  so  presses 


212  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

his  righteousness,  is  not  a  bepraising  of  self,  but  the 
design  of  inspiring  others  also  with  zeal  for  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  law," 

Versp.s  25 — 27.  With  the  merciful  thou  wilt  show  thyself  mer- 
ciful; Avith  an  upright  man  thou  wilt  show  thyself  upright; 
with  the  pure  thou  wilt  show  thyself  pure;  and  with  the 
froward  thou  wilt  show  thyself  froward.  For  thou  wilt  save 
the  afflicted  people;  but  wilt  bring  down  high  looks. 

Having,  in  the  previous  portions  of  the  psalm,  nar- 
rated the  deliverances  God  had  wrought  for  him,  not 
when  he  was  a  king  among  kings,  and  at  the  head  of 
armies,  but  while  he  was  poor,  and  persecuted,  and 
alone,  rewarding  him  according  to  his  righteousness, 
David  here,  in  these  verses,  declares  that  God  acts 
universally  on  the  principle  of  being  unto  men  what 
they  are  to  him;  of  meeting  them  on  their  own 
grounds,  and  dealing  with  them  just  according  to  the 
character  they  choose  to  enact.  If  they  choose  to 
enact  the  character  of  righteous  men,  he  deals  with 
them  as  righteous  men,  saves  them  when  they  are 
afflicted  for  righteousness'  sake,  employing  every 
element  and  agent  of  his  power  to  rescue  them  from 
harm.  If  they  choose  to  enact  the  character  of 
wicked  men,  he  deals  with  them  as  wicked  men ;  he 
brings  down  their  high  looks,  employing  every  ele- 
ment and  agent  of  his  power  to  overwhelm  them. 
It  remains  therefore  a  matter  for  each  of  us  to  decide, 
■what  God  shall  be  to  us,  and  how  he  shall  deal  with 
us.  If  we  walk  in  his  ways,  he  will  walls:  with  us, 
nor  forsake  us,  nor  cease  to  bless  us.  If  we  do  not 
walk  in  his  ways,  he  will  never  cease  to  oppose  us, 
nor  to  employ  the  agents  of  his  power  against  us. 
Let  us  all,  then,  take  refuge  in  the  mercy  of  him 
whose  justice  we  cannot  endure.  Let  us  recollect 
that  he  who  was  David's  rock,  is  the  Hock  of  Ages, 


PSALM   XVIII.  213 

since  cleft  on  Calvary,  to  afford  a  hiding-place  for  us 
all — a  hiding-place  not  only  from  all  the  storms  of 
this  life,  but  also  a  sure  hiding-place  from  the  storm 
of  fire  that  shall  sweep  over  the  earth  when  it  shall 
be  shaken  for  the  last  time,  and  removed  out  of  its 
place.  AVho  of  us  will  not  need  a  hiding-place  then, 
and  who  of  us  can  need  a  better  hiding-place  then, 
than  that  offered  to  us  all  in  Christ '? 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XVIIL  28—50. 

Verse  28.     For  thou  wilt  light  my  candle;  the  Lord  my  God 
will  enlighten  my  darkness. 

To  light  one's  candle  is  to  give  prosperity;  and 
to  enlighten  one's  darkness  is  another  mode  of  ex- 
pressing the  same  thought.  Whoever  else  might 
oppose  him,  David's  experience  of  His  past  dealings 
with  him,  persuaded  him  that  the  Lord  would  not ; 
that,  having  defended  and  delivered  him  when  he 
was  friendless  and  persecuted,  he  would  still  continue 
to  bless  him  now  that  he  had  reached  the  throne. 
Hitherto  in  the  psalm  David  describes  himself  as  the 
object  of  the  Divine  mercy,  miraculously  delivered 
from  all  his  enemies,  and  especially  from  Saul ;  hence- 
forward, however,  to  the  end  of  the  psalm  he  de- 
scribes himself  as  the  instrument  of  the  Divine 
mercy,  God  co-operating  with  him,  and  he  with  God, 
in  subduing  his  enemies  under  him.  David's  history 
in  this  respect  is  like  to  the  history  of  Christianity; 
its  beginnings,  were  in  miracles,  its  subsequent  vic- 
tories by  a  power  inherently  its  own.     In  the  first 


214  LECTURES   ON   THE    PSALMS. 

twenty-seven  verses  he  speaks  of  the  deliverances  he 
had  experienced;  in  the  last  twenty-three,  he  speaks 
of  the  conquests  he  had  achieved,  and  would  achieve — 
for  he  speaks  both  historically  and  propheticallj' — 
and  in  speaking  prophetically,  carries  the  mind  for- 
ward to  the  conquests  of  Him  whose  dominion  shall 
be  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth. 

Versk  20.     For  by  tliee  I  have  run  through  a  troop;  and  by  my 
God  have  I  leaped  over  a  wall. 

Strengthened  by  his  God,  David  had  routed  his 
enemies  drawn  up  in  battle  array  against  him.  "  By 
thee  I  have  run  through  a  troop."  By  the  same 
help,  he  had  stormed  and  taken  their  strongholds 
and  fortified  places ;  "  by  my  God  have  I  leaped  over 
a  wall."  David's  overcoming  the  most  formidable 
foes  and  obstacles  by  the  help  of  the  Lord,  reminds 
one  of  St.  Paul's  words,  "  thanks  be  unto  God,  which 
always  causeth  us  to  triumph  in  Christ."  2  Cor.  ii.  1-1. 
"I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ,  which  strength- 
eneth  me."  Phil.  iv.  13.  They  who  contend  in  the 
strength  of  Christ  can  never  fliil  of  overcoming.  To 
the  weakest  of  his  followers,  under  the  sorest  con- 
flicts, his  words  are,  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee; 
for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness." 

Verse  30.     As  for  God,  his  way  is  perfect ;  the  word  of  the  Lord 
is  tried :  he  is  a  buckler  to  all  those  that  trust  in  him. 

David's  experience  had  taught  him  what  every 
man's  experience  will  teach  him  in  this  world,  or  in 
the  world  to  come — that  is,  that  God's  way  is  per- 
fect; that  there  is  no  taint  of  injustice  in  any  of  his 
dealings  with  his  creatures.  This  Nebuchadnezzar 
acknowledged  after  God  had  punished  him  for  his 


PSALM   XVIII.  215 

pride,  (Dan.  iv.  37;)  and  this  they  who  sing  the  song 
of  INIoses  and  of  the  Lamb,  proclaim  in  the  heavens 
above,  saying,  "Just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou 
King  of  saints."  Rev.  xv.  3.  "The  word  of  the  Lord 
is  tried;"  tried  by  the  severest  tests  of  human  expe- 
rience, it  increases  in  Uistre  more  and  more  as  im- 
mutable truth.  The  sky  of  David's  hopes  had  been 
overcast  with  many  a  cloud,  and  rent  with  many  a 
storm,  but  no  promise  of  his  God  had  failed  to  be 
fulfilled.  "  He  is  a  buckler  to  all  those  who  put  their 
trust  in  him;"  a  buckler  of  infinite  wisdom,  power, 
and  goodness. 

Verse  31.     For  who  is  God  save  the  Lord?  or  who  is  a  rock, 
save  our  God? 

"Who  is  God  save  the  Lord'?" — that  is,  just,  true, 
and  the  helper  of  all  who  flee  to  him  for  succour  1 
This  could  not  be  said  of  any  that  the  heathen  called 
gods.  According  to  their  own  account  of  them,  their 
gods  were  unjust,  false,  and  failed  them  in  their  hour 
of  need.  The  Lord  alone  had  manifested  a  character 
that  entitled  him  to  be  called  God.  "  Or  who  is  a 
rock  save  our  Godf  In  calling  God  a  rock,  David 
indicates  the  immutability  of  his  nature;  that  he  is 
of  one  mind  and  changes  not,  but  retains  from  age  to 
age  the  same  love  of  justice,  the  same  love  of  truth, 
and  the  same  settled  purpose  to  serve  and  save  all 
who  serve  Him.  It  was  otherwise  with  the  gods  of 
the  heathen;  they  were  as  fickle  as  men,  and  quite 
as  variable  in  their  principles  of  action. 

Verse  32.     It  is  God  that  girdeth  me  with  strength,  and  maketh 
my  way  perfect. 

He  who  is  infinite  in  strength  girded  David  with 
strength,  and  made  his  way  perfect;  removed  out  of 


216  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

his  way,  by  His  grace  or  providence,  every  obstacle 
to  his  progress  onward  to  a  final  and  crowning  vic- 
tory. It  was  in  this  way  that  he  made  St.  Paul's 
way  perfect  before  him,  leading  him  on  from  con- 
quering to  conquer,  from  victory  to  victory,  until, 
when  the  time  of  his  departure  came,  he  leaves, 
shouting,  "  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished 
my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith:  henceforth  there 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the 
Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day  ; 
and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love 
his  appearing."  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8.  Such  is  the  strength 
wherewith  God  girdeth  all  those  who  serve  him  in 
the  gospel  of  his  Son. 

Verse  33.     He  maketh  my  feet  like  hinds'  feet,  and  settctli  me 
upon  my  liigli  places. 

In  the  twenty-ninth  verse  David  represents  him- 
self, through  the  strengthening  of  his  God,  as  break- 
ing through  and  routing  serried  lines  of  troops  drawn 
up  in  battle  array  against -him,  and  also  as  storming 
their  strongholds  and  driving  them  thence.  Here, 
aided  by  the  same  power,  he  represents  himself  as 
pursuing  his  enemies  with  the  fleetness  of  the  hind 
to  their  mountain  fastnesses.  The  hind,  the  female 
of  the  antelope,  is  the  swiftest  and  most  sure-footed 
of  animals,  its  feet  being  peculiarly  fitted  to  scaling 
mountains  with  ease,  and  running  along  the  most 
precipitous  heights  with  safety.  It  was  along  paths, 
comparable  to  such  for  danger,  that  the  Lord  had 
prepared  David  to  run  with  feet  that  never  missed 
their  hold.  And  if  we  could  see  the  Lord's  dealings 
with  us,  as  David  saw  his  dealings  with  him,  how 
many  of  us  might  see  that  he  had  strengthened  us  to 


PSALM    XVIII.  217 

run  along  ways  equally  difficult  and  dangerous  1  How 
many  of  us  might  see  that  he  had  given  his  angels 
charge  over  us  to  bear  us  up  in  their  hands,  lest  we 
should  dash  our  foot  against  a  stone,  that  would  have 
precipitated  us  to  the  earth,  never  to  rise  again  1 
Happy  the  man  whom  the  Lord  so  setteth  upon  the 
high  places  of  victory  over  all  his  spiritual  foes! 

Verse  34.     lie  teacheth  my  hands  to  war,  so  that  a  bow  of  steel 
is  broken  by  mine  arms. 

God  raises  up  men  specially  qualified  to  meet  the 
exigencies  of  human  society — the  soldier,  the  states- 
man, the  lawgiver,  the  teacher  of  religion,  the  ready 
writer,  the  eloquent  man,  and  the  cunning  artificer. 
He  had  need  of  a  soldier  to  accomplish  the  purposes 
of  his  will,  and  he  qualified  David  for  the  work ;  and 
so  long  as  David  prosecuted  his  wars,  free  of  ambi- 
tious and  malevolent  feelings,  and  solely  with  the 
desire  of  accomplishing  the  will  of  God,  he  served 
God  as  acceptably  in  tlie  field,  as  he  could  have 
served  him  in  his  temple.  Provided  his  cause  be 
just,  and  he  prosecute  it  with  right  motives,  the 
patriot  soldier  is  engaged  in  as  holy  a  work  as  the 
priest  at  the  altar.  God  so  taught  David  the  art  of 
war,  that  "a  bow  of  steel  Avas  broken  by  his  arms." 
It  required  the  use  both  of  hands  and  feet  to  bend 
the  ancient  bow  of  steel;  how  great  then  must 
David's  strength  have  been,  to  break  it  with  his 
arms.  This  verse  has,  of  course,  a  spiritual  applica- 
tion, showing  how  easily  God  can  clothe  with  over- 
coming might  all  who  are  engaged  in  the  good  fight 
of  faith,  enabling  them  to  overcome,  with  a  moiety 
of  their  strength,  the  strongest  weapons  with  which 
they  may  be  assailed. 
19 


218  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Verse  35.  Thou  liast  also  given  me  tte  shield  of  thy  salvation: 
and  tliy  right  hand  hath  holden  me  up,  and  thy  gentleness 
hath  made  me  great. 

This  is  what  every  one  can  say  who  has  been  pre- 
served and  upheld  by  the  power  of  God:  "thy  gen- 
tleness hath  made  me  great."  David's  words  here 
recall  the  Saviour's,  "  take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and 
learn  of  me:  for  I  am  meek  and  lowlij  in  heart;  and 
ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."  Matt.  xi.  29.  The 
lowliness  of  the  Lord  in  stooping  to  our  infirmities, 
bearing  with  our  sins,  speaking  the  word  of  tender 
reproof  here,  and  of  encouragement  there,  and  so 
training  us  up  for  our  heavenly  inheritance,  excites 
the  wonder  of  the  believer  more  and  more.  O  the 
gentleness,  the  lowliness,  and  condescension,  of  the 
high  and  lofty  One!  is  the  thought  which  at  last 
occupies  the  mind  of  the  believer  to  the  exclusion  of 
almost  every  other. 

Verse  36.  Thou  hast  enlarged  my  steps  under  me,  that  my  feet 
did  not  slip. 

Having  had  his  way  before  him  cleared  by  the 
Lord,  and  been  also  endued  with  strength  by  him, 
David  pushes  on  in  his  victories  with  a  strong, 
steady,  and  far-reaching  step.  He  runs,  and  is  not 
weary;  he  walks,  and  is  not  faint.  It  is  so  with 
all  who  wait  on  the  Lord  as  David  did.  Isa.  xl.  31. 

Verses  37,  38.  I  have  pursued  my  enemies,  and  overtaken 
them :  neither  did  I  turn  again  till  they  were  consumed.  1 
have  wounded  them  that  they  were  not  able  to  rise :  they  are 
fallen  under  my  feet. 

David's  rapid  and  subjugating  victories  teach  the 
Christian  an  important  lesson,  that  is,  that  the  warfare 
he  wages  against  sin  should  be,  not  as  a  warfare  of 
resistance  only,  but  also  of  aggression:  that  he  should 
anticipate  the  onsets  of  evil  and  guard  against  them ; 


PSALM   XVIII.  219 

inflict  blow  after  blow  upon  sin  in  his  life,  blow  after 
blow  upon  sin  in  his  heart:  neglect  no  means  of  weak- 
ening the  power  of  sin  over  him.  It  was  not  by  resist- 
ance alone  that  Christ  achieved  his  victories.  He 
did  indeed  repel  the  onsets  made  upon  him  by  the 
adversary:  but  having  done  that,  he  carried  the  war 
into  the  adversary's  own  domains,  took  his  strong 
holds,  silenced  his  oracles,  threw  down  his  temples, 
and  liberated  his  captives.  The  kingdom  of  Christ 
is  essentially  an  aggressive  kingdom,  it  aims  at  the 
conquest  of  the  world,  and  will  not  cease  its  holy 
warfare  till  it  has  made  the  conquest  of  the  world. 
Its  King  will  go  on  from  conquering  to  conquer,  till 
not  an  enemy  remains  to  be  subdued.  And  every 
believer  should  strive  to  be  able  to  say  of  his  sins, 
what  David  says  of  his  enemies,  "  I  have  pursued 
them,  and  overtaken  them:  neither  did  I  turn  again 
till  they  were  consumed.  I  have  wounded  them  that 
they  are  not  able  to  rise:  they  are  fallen  under  my 
feet." 

Verses  39,  40.  For  thou  hast  girded  me  with  strength  unto 
the  battle:  thou  hast  subdued  under  me  those  that  rose  up 
against  uie.  Thou  hast  also  given  me  the  necks  of  mine  ene- 
mies, that  I  might  destroy  them  that  hate  me. 

Whatever  his  triumphs  and  successes,  David  never 
for  a  moment  forgets  the  Author  of  them;  that  he 
prevailed  only  because  he  was  "strong  in  the  Lord;" 
that  it  was  through  "  the  power  of  his  might"  that 
insurgent  subjects  at  home  were  subdued,  and  ene- 
mies abroad  bowed  the  neck  in  submission,  or  turned 
their  backs  in  flight.  No  enemy  can  withstand  us, 
when  girded  with  the  power  of  his  might.  The 
seventy  returned  again  with  joy,  saying,  "  Lord,  even 
the  devils  are  subject  unto  us  through  thy  name." 


220  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

Luke  X.  18.     Strengthened  with  might  hy  his  Spirit 

in  the  inner  man,  the  behevcr  overcomes  temptation 

without,    and   corruption    within — Satan    himself — 

death    itself.      His    language    to    the   believer,    so 

strengthened,    is,   "Come,  put    your  feet  upon  the 

necks  of  these  kings;"   the  king  of  devils,  and  the 

king  of  terrors.  Josh.  x.  24. 

Verse  41.     They  cried,  but  there  was  none  to  save  them:  even 
unto  the  Lord,  but  he  answered  them  not. 

This  is  by  no  means  an  unusual  occurrence:  the 
enemies  of  God  calling  upon  him  in  their  extremity 
to  save  them.  Voltaire  died  alternately  supplicating 
and  blaspheming  the  Son  of  God !  "  Will  not  this 
God,"  he  exclaimed,  while  foaming  with  impotent 
despair,  "whom  I  have  denied,  save  me  too]  Cannot 
infinite  mercy  extend  to  mel  O  Christ!  O  Jesus 
Christ!"  He  said  to  his  physician,  "Doctor,  I  will 
give  you  half  of  what  I  am  worth,  if  you  will  give 
me  six  months'  life."  The  doctor  answered,  "Sir, 
you  cannot  live  six  weeks."  Voltaire  replied,  "  Then 
I  shall  go  to  hell,  and  you  will  go  with  me;"  and 
soon  after  expired.  He  cried,  but  there  was  none  to 
save  him;  even  unto  the  Lord,  but  he  answered  him 
not.  Paine's  end  was  equally  fearful.  While  free 
from  intense  suffering,  he  was  still  the  bold  and  defi- 
ant infidel,  but  when  distress  and  anguish  came  upon 
him,  he  would  repeat,  without  intermission,  "O 
Lord  help  me,  God  help  me,  Jesus  Christ  help  me!" 
in  a  tone  of  voice  that  would  alarm  the  whole 
house;  and  when  asked,  "Mr.  Paine,  what  must 
we  think  of  your  present  conduct '?  Why  do  you 
call  upon  Jesus  Christ  to  help  you"?  Do  you  believe 
that  he  can  help  you]  Do  you  believe  in  the  Divinity 
of  Jesus  Christ]"  he  replied,  after  a  pause  of  several 


PSALM  xviir.  221 

minutes,  "  I  have  no  wish  to  believe  on  that  subject." 
An  infidel  hypocrite!  consistent  to  the  last!  How 
fearfully  do  the  last  hours  of  such  men  as  Paine  and 
Voltaire  illustrate  the  words,  "Because  I  have  called, 
and  ye  have  refused;  I  have  stretched  out  my  hand, 
and  no  man  regarded;  but  ye  have  set  at  naught  all 
my  counsel,  and  would  none  of  my  reproof;  I  also 
will  laugh  at  your  calamity;  I  will  mock  when  your 
fear  comcth;  when  your  fear  cometli  as  desolation, 
and  your  destruction  cometh  as  a  whirlwind;  when 
distress  and  anguish  cometh  upon  you;  then  shall 
they  call  upon  me,  but  I  will  not  answer;  they  shall 
seek  me  early,  but  they  shall  not  find  me."  Prov.  i. 
24-28.  "They  cried,  but  there  was  none  to  save 
them;  even  unto  the  Lord,  but  he  answered  them 
not."  We  referred  to  this  verse  in  the  third  verse  of 
our  psalm,  where  we  endeavoured  to  show  that  none 
can  pray  to  God  as  they  ought,  without  an  intelli- 
gent, appreciating  and  approving  estimate  of  his 
praiseworthy  character.  This  estimate  of  the  Divine 
character  the  wicked  cannot  have,  and  of  course  in 
the  hour  of  need,  flee  unto  God  merely  as  a  refuge 
from  danger  which  they  cannot  hope  to  escape  in  any 
other  way.  They  flee  unto  him,  not  because  they 
love  him,  but  because  they  cannot  withstand,  and 
therefore  dread,  his  power.  To  the  call  of  all  such 
men  God  is  deaf,  even  as  they  have  been  deaf  to  his 
call,  when  he  would  have  had  mercy  upon  them. 

Verse  42.     Then  did  I  beat  them  small  as  the  dust  before  the 
wind;  I  did  cast  them  out  as  the  dirt  in  the  streets. 

How  weak  and  worthless  a  thing  man  becomes 
when  God  refuses  to  hear  his  cry  for  mercy!     The 
"  small  dust  before  the  wind"  represents  his  weak- 
ness; the  "dirt  that  is  cast  out   into  the  streets," 
19* 


222  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

represents  his  worthlcssness.  Such  were  the  most 
powerful  of  his  enemies  before  David,  when  God  had 
forsaken  them.  May  a  merciful  God  save  us  all  from 
Divine  abandonment ! 

Verse  43.  Thou  liast  delivered  me  from  the  striving's  of  the 
people;  and  thou  hast  made  me  the  head  of  the  heathen:  a 
people  whom  I  have  not  known  shall  serve  me. 

Blessed  with  victories  at  home  over  the  uprisings 
of  his  own  people,  and  with  victories  abroad  over 
the  heathen,  David  is  persuaded  that  nation  after 
nation  would  be  added  to  his  conquests,  and  the  con- 
quests of  his  successors;  even  nations  which,  at  the 
time  of  uttering  this  prophecy,  he  knew  not.  This 
can  of  course  have  its  complete  fulfilment  only  in 
Christ,  David's  Divine  and  final  Successor  on  the 
throne  of  Israel.  It  is  under  his  rule  that  the 
strivings  of  his  own  people,  the  Jews,  shall  at  length 
cease,  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  gathered  into 
his  church,  and  nations  that  now  know  him  not, 
shall  serve  him  in  the  gospel. 

Verses  44,  45.  As  soon  as  they  hear  of  me,  they  shall  obey  me; 
the  strangers  shall  submit  themselves  unto  me.  The  strangers 
shall  fade  away,  and  be  afraid  out  of  their  close  places. 

Such  was  the  moral  efi"ect  of  David's  victories 
upon  the  nations  around  him,  that  many  who  had 
only  heard  of  them,  voluntarily  submitted  themselves 
to  his  rule.  2  Sam.  viii.  10.  Even  those  who  had 
secreted  themselves  in  the  holes  of  the  rocks,  and  in 
the  caves  of  the  earth,  were  afraid  of  him  out  of  their 
close  places,  and  rendered  him  a  feigned  submission. 
That  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  here  translated 
"submit."  "Thine  enemies,"  says  Moses,  "shall 
feign  to  thee."  Deut.  xxxiii.  29.  David,  however, 
in  the  verses  before  us,  speaks  in  the  future  tense, 


PSALM    XVIII.  223 

and  in  so  doinf]f,  predicts  what  would  take  place 
under  the  rule  of  his  Divine  Son.  And  what  David 
here  predicted,  has  since  taken  place;  many  have 
submitted  to  Christ  as  soon  as  they  heard  of  him; 
some  rendering  him  sincere  obedience;  others,  over- 
awed by  the  external  manifestations  of  the  Divine 
power  resident  in  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  his 
kingdom,  only  a  feigned  obedience.  Times  of  great 
outward  prosperity  to  the  Church  are  the  times  when 
hypocrites  are  readiest  to  profess  its  faith.  This  flxct 
was  signally  verified  in  the  accessions  to  the  Church 
consequent  upon  the  conversion  of  Constantine.  It 
grew  by  the  accession  not  only  of  those  who  loved, 
but  also  of  those  who  hated  the  truth.  Its  opponents 
faded  away  like  the  vanishing  cloud.  It  is  no  slight 
compliment  to  Christianity,  that  it  can  compel  the 
homage  of  minds  that  hate  it,  and  would,  if  they 
could,  destroy  it.  The  fact  bespeaks  its  Divine 
power  as  nothing  else  can.  Despotism  feels  its 
power,  and  trembles  before  it;  superstition  dreads 
its  presence;  infidelity  invokes  its  aid  in  the  dying 
hour. 

Verse  46.     The  Lord  liveth;  and  blessed  be  my  Eock;  and  let 
the  God  of  my  salvation  be  exalted. 

Here  begins  what  is  not  improperly  regarded  as 
the  doxology  of  the  whole  eighteenth  psalm.  "  The 
Lord  liveth."  He  alone  is  the  living  God.  He 
alone  hath  life  and  immortality  in  himself,  and  im- 
parteth  it  to  others;  other  gods  are  dead  idols;  they 
have  mouths,  but  they  speak  not;  eyes  have  they, 
but  they  see  not;  they  have  ears,  but  they  hear  not; 
noses  have  they,  but  they  smell  not;  they  liave 
hands,  but  they  handle  not;  feet  have  they,  but  they 
walk  not;  neither  speak  they  through  their  throat." 


224  ■  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

Ps.  cxv.  5-7.  "Blessed  be  my  Eock;"  the  Lord 
alone  is  the  only  immutable  Helper,  a  Rock,  strong 
and  unchanging.  "  And  let  the  God  of  my  salvation 
be,"  or  he  is  "exalted;"  whatsoever  can  give  beauty, 
dignity  and  glory  to  character,  is  his.  The  gods  of 
the  heathen  are  nothing — the  Lord  is  everything. 

Verses  47,  48.  It  is  God  that  avcngeth  me,  and  subdueth  the 
people  under  me.  He  dclivcreth  me  from  mine  enemies; 
yea,  thou  liftest  me  up  above  those  that  rise  up  against  me; 
thou  hast  delivered  me  from  the  violent  man. 

David  is  continually  recurring  to  the  only  Source 
of  his  strength,  conquests,  and  deliverances.  The 
thought  was  ever  present  and  operative  in  his  mind, 
that  in  God  alone  he  lived,  and  moved,  and  had  his 
being;  and  in  him  alone  accomplished  anything  of 
good.  This  thought  and  feeling  is  the  believer's 
only  safety;  the  moment  he  thinks  he  can  of  himself 
accomplish  anything  good,  he  falls.  If  David  had 
ceased  to  cherish  this  feeling,  the  Lord  would  never 
have  delivered  him  from  all  his  enemies,  and  from 
the  violent  man,  Saul. 

Verse  49.  Therefore  will  I  give  thanks  unto  thee,  0  Lord, 
among  the  heathen,  and  sing  praises  unto  thy  name. 

St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  quotes 
these  words  as  the  words  of  Christ  himself,  saying, 
"  I  will  confess  to  thee  among  the  Gentiles,  and  sing 
unto  thy  name."  Rom.  xv.  9.  St.  Paul's  application 
of  the  verse  before  us,  shows  that  David  was  here 
speaking  of  his  Divine  Son,  as  well  as  of  himself, 
and  spoke  of  his  own  conquests  achieved  for  his  own 
people  Israel,  only  to  shadow  forth  the  still  greater 
conquests  that  his  Son  would  achieve  for  the  whole 
world — for  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  for  the  Jews. 


PSALM  xviri.  225 

Verse  50.     Croat  deliverance  g-ivetli  he  to  his  kinp:;  and  showeth 
mercy  to  his  anointed,  to  David,  and  to  his  seed  for  evermore. 

Here  is  a  clear  reference  to  a  King,  and  an 
anointed  One,  greater  and  higher  than  David,  even 
to  the  seed  of  David,  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  To  Him  the  Lord 
hath  indeed  given  great  deUverance — the  deliverance, 
not  of  a  single  nation  only,  but  the  deliverance  of  a 
world  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  corruption.  He 
overcame  our  great  spiritual  Saul,  and  every  other 
enemy;  encountered  the  hosts  of  darkness,  and  put 
them  to  flight.  Before  Him,  Satan  himself  fell,  like 
lightning  from  heaven,  from  his  high  places  of  power. 
He  descended  into  the  grave,  and  came  up  a  Con- 
queror even  thence,  leading  captivity  captive.  He 
ascended  in  triumph  to  the  skies,  and  is  set  down  at 
the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  the  crowned 
and  anointed  King  of  his  Church;  crowned  and 
anointed,  not  as  David  was,  for  an  age  only,  but  for 
evermore.  His  is  an  eternal  crown,  an  eternal 
throne,  and  an  eternal  dominion,  upheld  by  all 
power  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  It  is  mercy  indeed 
that  the  Lord  showeth  to  his  Anointed,  to  his  Mes- 
siah— mercy  for  others,  mercy  for  the  guilty — par- 
doning and  saving  all  those  who  ask  pardon  and 
salvation  in  His  name.  Let  us  all  then  submit  our- 
selves to  Messiah's  loving  rule;  so  shall  we  at  last 
reign  with  him  in  his  kingdom  for  evermore. 


226  LECTURES    ON    THE    PSALMS. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XIX. 

Verse  1.     The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  Grma- 
ment  showeth  his  handy-work. 

The  object  of  the  nineteenth  psalm  is  not  to  con- 
trast^ but  to  identify  the  God  of  nature  with  the  God 
of  revelation,  as  one  and  the  same  infinite  Being ;  to 
show  that  the  God  who  in  the  beginning  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  is  the  same  God  who  speaks 
to  us  in  the  law ;  and  thus  to  do  away  the  impression, 
so  prevalent  with  many,  that  the  Jehovah  of  Israel 
was  a  local  God.  It  shows  that  the  God  who  is  the 
author  of  the  most  glorious  thing  in  the  physical 
world,  the  bright  orb  of  day,  is  also  the  author  of  the 
most  glorious  thing  in  the  moral  world,  the  Divine 
law.  The  first  verse  of  the  psalm  affirms  that  the 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
showeth  his  handy-work;  that  eternal  power  and 
Godhead  are  manifested  in  their  existence.  Out  of 
nothing,  nothing  could  be  made,  except  by  the  pre- 
existence  of  such  a  power.  Just  so  sure  as  anything 
now  is,  something  has  always  been,  and  that  always 
existing  something  is  God.  If  at  any  time  in  the 
flow  of  eternal  ages,  there  was  nothing,  there  would 
be  nothing  still.  Or,  supposing  matter  to  be  eternal, 
if  there  ever  was  a  time  when  all  was  chaos,  all  would 
be  chaos  still;  for  eternal  power  and  Godhead  are 
no  more  necessary  to  call  matter  into  being  out  of 
nothing,  than  they  are  necessary  to  give  previously 
existing  matter  its  present  properties  and  arrange- 
ments. It  is  also  equally  absurd  to  suppose  the  pre- 
sent forms  of  matter  to  be  eternal ;  for  our  own  earth, 


rsALM  XIX.  227 

and  we  may  suppose  the  same  of  all  other  planets,  is 
continually  changing- — its  very  rocks  and  mountains 
wearing  down,  its  valleys  and  even  seas  filling  up,  so 
that  ultimately  they  will  require  a  re-adjustment  and 
new  arrangement.  The  simplest  and  most  rational 
account  of  the  origin  of  things,  is  given  us  in  the  very 
first  verse  of  the  Bible,  in  the  words,  "  In  the  begin- 
ning God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth."  The 
moment  eternal  power  and  Godhead  are  introduced 
into  the  scene,  as  the  author  of  creation,  all  mystery 
disappears.  We  see  at  once  that  such  a  Being  could 
make  the  heavens  what  they  are;  and  that  what  he 
could  do,  he  has  done,  stamping  every  creation  of 
his  in  the  heavens  over  us  with  the  insignia  of  his 
Divinity. 

Verse  2.     Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night 
showeth  knowledge. 

The  story  that  the  heavens  tell  of  their  Author  is 
without  intermission.  They  are  telling  it  forth  day 
and  night.  An  Oriental  imderstands  this  unceasing 
testimony  of  the  heavens  to  a  Divine  original,  much 
better  than  we  do.  Our  skies  by  day,  and  starry 
canopy  by  night,  are  often  glorious;  but  their  glory 
can  hardly  be  compared  with  that  of  an  Asiatic  sky. 
It  was  said  of  the  latter,  by  Niebuhr,  the  father  of 
the  historian,  long  after  his  return  from  the  East,  and 
when  he  had  become  blind  from  age,  that  the  glitter- 
ing splendour  of  the  nocturnal  Asiatic  sky,  as  also 
its  lofty  vault  and  azure  by  day,  on  which  he  had  so 
often  gazed  in  his  wanderings,  imaged  itself  to  his 
mind  in  the  hours  of  stillness,  and  afforded  him  his 
sweetest  enjoyment.  Day  and  night  had  each  a  voice 
full  of  Divinity  to  him;  and  each  told  the  tale  of  its 


228  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

beginning,  order,  and  beauty,  to  his  musing  spirit, 
and  that  its  beginning,  order,  and  beauty,  were  in 
God,  and  worthy  of  God.  So  Niebuhr  felt,  whether 
gazing  upon  the  heavens  by  day  or  by  night;  and  so 
David  felt. 

Verse  3.     There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where  their  voice  is 
not  heard. 

Taking  these  words  as  they  stand  in  our  English 
Bible,  they  teach  us  that  the  testimony  borne  by  the 
heavens  to  a  Divine  Author,  is  a  testimony  that  ad- 
dresses itself  to  men  everywhere,  to  all  endowed  with 
the  faculty  of  speech.  That  is  undoubtedly  true;  it 
is  not  however,  exactly  the  meaning  of  the  Hebrew. 
Literally  rendered,  the  Hebrew  original  reads,  "  There 
is  no  speech,  and  there  are  no  words;  their  voice  is 
not  heard."  The  unceasing  testimony  borne  by  the 
heavens  to  the  glory  of  God,  is  not  an  audible  testi- 
mony, is  not  uttered  in  words  and  articulate  language. 
Their  testimony  is  a  silent  testimony;  and  yet  in 
what  power  do  they  speak  of  the  Divine  greatness! 
Who  can  gaze  long  and  alone  upon  the  silent  majesty 
of  the  heavens,  without  exclaiming,  There  is  a  God ! 
We  gaze  upon  their  silent  wonders  as  we  gaze  upon 
the  things  surrounding  us  in  some  vast  gallery  of 
art.  The  painted  canvass  is  indeed  silent,  and  the 
chiseled  marble  dumb,  but  though  voiceless,  how 
potently  does  each  speak  to  our  minds  of  the  skilful 
hands  that  executed  them,  and  made  them  what  they 
are!  In  the  same  way,  and  more  potently,  do  the 
heavens  speak  of  the  hand  that  made  them  what  they 
are.  They  are  silent,  but  what  language  could  speak 
to  the  heart,  as  their  deep  and  everlasting  silence 
speaks  to  it  of  the  grandeur  of  their  Author  1 


PSALM  XIX.  229 

Verse  4.  Their  line  is  gone  out  tlirougli  all  the  earth,  and  their 
words  to  the  end  of  the  world.  In  them  hath  he  set  a  taber- 
nacle for  the  sun, 

The  line  mentioned  here  is  a  measuring-line,  a 
line  used  to  ascertain  areas,  and  especially  the  extent 
of  a  given  territory.  The  measuring  line  of  the 
heavens  embraces  the  whole  earth  within  its  com- 
pass; the  testimony  they  bear  to  the  glory  of  God 
extends  to  the  ends  of  the  world.  They  look  down 
upon  us  with  the  same  calm  majesty  at  the  equator, 
the  tropics,  and  the  poles.  Their  blue  star-enameled 
depths  tell  the  same  story  to  all;  to  savage  and  to 
sage,  to  every  creature  endowed  with  reason  and 
reflection.  The  gospel  of  Christ,  God's  great  moral 
manifestation  of  himself,  possesses  the  same  inherent 
power  of  speaking  to  the  human  heart  in  every  clime, 
in  all  the  earth,  and  unto  the  ends  of  the  world. 
Rom.  X.  8.  "In  them,"  that  is,  in  the  heavens, 
"hath  he  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun."  The  oriental 
royal  tent,  tabernacle,  or  pavilion,  is  composed  of  the 
richest  material,  dyed  in  splendid  colours,  and  orna- 
mented with  beautiful  embroidery.  The  heavens  are 
such  a  pavilion  for  the  sun,  overcanopying  and  sur- 
rounding it  like  a  curtain — a  curtain  of  simple  blue, 
by  day;  at  night,  however,  of  blue,  studded  with 
gems  of  light  and  beauty,  that  no  man  can  number. 
How  vivid  a  conception  of  the  power  of  God,  who 
"stretcheth  out  the  heavens  as  a  curtain,  and  spread- 
eth  them  out  as  a  tent  (for  the  sun)  to  dwell  in." 
Isa.  xl.  22. 

Verse  5.  Which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  chamber, 
and  rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a  race. 

In  beauty  and  in   power,   in  splendour  and   in 
might,  the  sun  comes  daily  forth  from  its  chambers 
20 


230  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

in  the  east.  No  bridegroom  could  be  more  gorgeously 
arrayed,  and  no  giant  pursue  his  course  with  stronger 
step.  It  rejoices  to  run  its  course.  It  goes  shining 
on,  as  if  its  journey  were  a  pleasure  to  it.  It  neither 
faints,  nor  grows  weary,  but  still  goes  onward  from  age 
to  age  with  strength  undiminished.  It  set  out  in  its 
race  this  morning  as  fresh  as  it  was  on  the  day  it  first 
started  in  the  orbit  marked  out  for  it  by  the  hand  of 
Omnipotence.  A  strong  man,  indeed !  And  yet  how 
many  such  strong  men  are  there  in  the  universe! 
Immensity  is  filled  with  suns,  running  their  courses, 
as  glorious,  as  unceasing,  and  as  untiring,  and  every 
one  of  those  suns  overcanopied  by  a  pavilion  as  mag- 
nificent as  that  which  overcanopies  our  o^vn.  How 
forcibly  does  all  this  proclaim  the  glory  of  Him  whose 
goings  forth  have  been  from  of  old,  even  from  ever- 
lasting! Micah  V.  2. 

Verse  6.  His  going  forth  is  from  the  end  of  the  heaven,  and 
his  circuit  unto  the  ends  of  it :  and  there  is  nothing  hid  from 
the  heat  thereof. 

It  is  not  a  useless  race  that  the  sun  runs  in  its 
ceaseless  circuit  through  the  heavens — a  race  in- 
tended merely  for  display.  Its  course  is  not  more 
glorious  and  untiring  than  it  is  beneficial.  There  is 
nothing  hid  from  the  heat  thereof  Its  light  brings 
warmth  and  life  to  everything  it  visits,  and  it  visits 
everything.  Ocean  depths  are  not  beyond  the  reach 
of  its  influences,  and  either  pole  feels  the  energy  of 
its  power.  It  paints  the  flower  blooming  upon  the 
floor  of  the  ocean,  as  well  as  that  blooming  upon  the 
surface  of  the  earth.  There  is  another  sun  that 
visits  the  moral  world  in  the  same  way  and  with 
equal  power — the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  His  light, 
too,  brings  warmth  and  life  to  every  soul  it  visits. 


PSALM   XIX.  231 

Verse  7.     The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  convcrtinp;  the  soul; 
the  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple. 

Having  described  the  glory  of  God,  visible  in  the 
creation  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  especially  of  the 
sun,  and  shown  that  all  is  perfect,  all  glorious,  David 
here  affirms  that  the  law  given  by  the  same  Being  is 
also  perfect.  He  evidently  takes  it  for  granted  that 
such  a  Being  could  give  no  other  law,  without  deny- 
ing himself,  and  contradicting  the  revelation  of  his 
attributes  legible  in  nature.  The  law  of  the  Lord  is 
perfect;  it  is  wanting  in  nothing  to  a  perfect  revela- 
tion of  the  Divine  will  and  character — wanting  in 
nothing  to  a  perfect  rule  of  human  conduct — want- 
ing in  nothing  to  a  full  exhibition  of  the  human  soul 
once  bearing  the  Divine  image,  and  of  what  changes 
it  must  experience  to  be  restored  to  that  image.  It 
is  a  mirror  whence  we  see  reflected  in  rays  of  living 
light  the  image  of  God  as  he  was,  is,  and  ever  will 
be ;  the  image  of  man  as  he  was,  is,  and  should  be. 
There  is  nothing  of  excess,  or  of  deficiency,  in  the 
instruction  God  has  given  man  to  guide  him  in  the 
way  everlasting.  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect, 
converting  the  soul.  David  of  course  speaks  here  of 
the  Divine  law  as  it  is  applied  to  the  heart  by  the 
Divine  Spirit.  So  applied  it  quickens  the  soul  from 
the  death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness.  The 
testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure.,  certain,  and  trust- 
worthy, whether  speaking  of  himself,  or  of  man — 
making  wise  the  simple,  that  is,  the  honest,  the  sin- 
cere, persons  open  to  conviction  and  persuasion.  To 
the  hearts  of  such,  the  teachings  of  God's  word  come 
home  as  the  teachings  of  Divine  and  eternal  truth. 
To  one  bantering  a  plain  uneducated  Christian  on 
the  absurdity  of  believing  the  Bible  to  be  a  revela- 


232  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

tion  from  the  Supreme  Being,  he  replied,  "I  know 
nothing  about  what  learned  men  call  the  external 
evidences  of  revelation,  but  I  will  tell  you  why  I 
believe  it  to  be  from  God.  I  have  a  most  depraved 
and  sinful  nature,  and,  do  what  I  will,  I  find  I  can- 
not make  myself  holy.  My  friends  cannot  do  it  for 
me,  nor  do  I  think  all  the  angels  in  heaven  could. 
One  thing  alone  does  it — the  reading  and  believing 
what  I  read  in  that  blessed  book — that  does  it.  Now, 
as  I  know  that  God  must  be  holy,  and  a  lover  of 
holiness,  and  as  I  believe  that  book  is  the  only 
thing  in  creation  that  produces  and  promotes  holi- 
ness, I  conclude  that  it]  is  from  God,  and  that 
God  is  the  author  of  it."  The  man  who  has  been 
born  again  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  truth,  knows  and  is  sure  that  the 
Bible  is  the  word  of  God,  by  its  effects  upon  his  own 
heart.  This  testimony  of  the  Lord  to  the  truth  of 
his  word,  is  as  sure,  as  certain,  and  as  trustworthy  to 
the  ignorant  as  it  is  to  the  intelligent;  it  maketh 
both  of  them  "  wise  unto  salvation." 

Verse  8.    The  statutes  of  the  Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart: 
the  commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes. 

The  statutes  of  the  Lord  rejoice  the  heart,  because, 
in  obeying  them,  there  is  a  consciousness  of  right 
that  can  never  fail  of  bringing  pleasure  to  the  mind. 
The  commandment  of  the  Lord  enlightens  the  eyes, 
because  its  purity,  like  the  rays  of  the  sun,  removes 
all  mental  and  moral  darkness,  enables  the  soul  to 
see  its  own  and  the  Divine  character  in  the  clearest 
possible  light.  Some,  however,  understand  the  sta- 
tutes of  the  Lord  here,  as  meaning  the  ritual  and 
sacrificial  ordinances  of  his  house,  rejoicing  the  heart 
by  setting  forth  salvation  through  atonement;  and 


PSALM  XIX.  233 

the  commandment  of  the  Lord,  as  meaning  the  code 
of  civil  laws  given  by  him  for  the  government  of  his 
people  Israel,  a  code  of  laws  so  perfect  and  humane 
in  their  provisions,  as  to  have  excited  the  admiration 
of  the  most  eminent  statesmen  and  jurists;  a  code, 
too,  that  has  been  modifying  and  elevating  the  legis- 
lation and  jurisprudence  of  the  world,  ever  since  it 
was  delivered  to  Moses,  and  that,  too,  in  many  cases 
where  its  very  existence  was  unknown,  or  ignored. 
But  in  whatever  sense  you  understand  the  words 
statutes  and  commandinent  in  this  verse,  in  a  moral, 
ceremonial,  or  civil  sense,  it  can  still  be  affirmed  of 
them,  that  they  bring  joy  to  the  heart,  and  light  to  the 
eyes.  However  understood,  they  still  proclaim  them- 
selves emanations  of  the  Divine  mind. 

Verse  9.     The  fear  of  tlie  Lord  is  clean,  enduring  for  ever:  the 
judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether. 

The  fear  of  the  Lord,  in  this  verse,  is  the  sense  of 
religion  wrought  in  the  soul  by  the  Divine  Spirit, 
using  the  word  of  God  as  its  instrument.  The  sense 
of  religion  in  the  soul  is  elsewheie  called  the  begin- 
ning of  wisdom — the  divinely  opened  and  divinely 
fed  fountain  whence  everything  good  in  man  flows. 
It  is  clean,  undefiled,  enduring  for  ever;  a  pure  foun- 
tain of  hallowed  emotion,  sending  forth  the  never- 
failing  streams  of  holy  obedience.  Its  thought  of  the 
great  Lawgiver  is,  that  his  judgments  are  true  and 
righteous  altogether.  Touched  by  his  regenerating 
grace,  the  soul  sees  nothing  but  truth  and  righteous- 
ness in  every  enactment  of  his  will  and  revelation  of 
his  character.  Its  reverential  fear  of  God  is  as  un- 
ceasing in  its  operations  as  the  Divine  law  exciting  it 
is  unceasing  in  its  demands.  It  is  the  feeling  that 
gives  rise  to  the  anthem  unceasingly  heard  in  hea- 
20* 


234  LECTURES .  ON    THE    PSALMS. 

ven,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which 
was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come:"  "heaven  and  earth  are 
full  of  thy  glory." 

Verse  10.     More  to  be  desired  are  tliey  than  gold,  yea,  than 
much  fine  gold;  sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honey-comb. 

The  divinely  enlightened  mind  values  the  word  of 
God  more  highly  than  it  does  any  earthly  blessing 
beside.  To  every  such  mind  that  word  is  more  pre- 
cious than  rubies.  No  money  could  induce  the  pri- 
mitive Christians  to  give  up  their  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. They  would  sooner  give  their  bodies  to  be 
burned,  than  surrender  the  holy  word  to  the  flames. 
"Will  you  sell  me  this  book'?"  was  the  question 
asked  of  a  pious  servant  reading  her  Bible.  "No, 
sir,"  she  replied ;  "  if  you  would  give  me  my  freedom 
for  it,  you  should  not  have  it."  Even  that  which  of 
all  earthly  things  is  dearest  to  the  human  heart, 
freedom,  this  Christian  slave  would  not  compare,  for 
preciousness,  with  her  single  copy  of  the  word  of 
God.  "  Sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honey- 
comb"— or,  as  the  margin  of  our  English  Bible  ren- 
ders it,  "than  the  droppings  of  the  honey-comb" — 
honey  exuding  in  drops  from  the  comb  being  richer, 
purer,  and  sweeter  than  any  other.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  honey  so  sweet  to  the  natural  taste  as  the 
word  of  God  to  the  spiritual  taste  of  his  children. 
Its  precepts  and  promises  glide  into  the  spirit  with  a 
sweetness  that  renders  all  other  sweets  insipid.  Lady 
Jane  Gray  said  to  friends,  who  wondered  how  she 
could  deny  herself  the  amusements  of  the  court,  and 
sit  at  home  alone  reading  her  Bible,  "All  amuse- 
ments of  that  description  are  but  a  shadow  of  the 
pleasure  which  I  enjoy  in  reading  this  book."  How 
little  do  most  of  us  realize  the  sweet  and  unspeakable 


PSALM    XIX.  235 

pleasures  of  which  we  rob  ourselves  in  not  studying 
the  word  of  God,  and  exercising  ourselves  therein 
day  and  night.  So  studied,  it  distills  sweetness  as 
well  as  healing  balm  into  the  wounded  spirit.  This 
was  David's  experience,  and  his  experience  has  been 
the  experience  of  thousands. 

Verse  ]1.     Moreover,  by  them  is  thy  servant  warned:  and  in 
keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward. 

The  word  warned,  in  this  place,  means  instructed, 
admonished,  enlightened — the  ever-increasing  light 
that  the  study  of  the  Divine  laws  and  ordinances  shed 
through  the  mind  in  regard  to  every  question  of 
truth  and  duty — a  light  beaming  more  and  more 
unto  perfect  day.  Of  this  light  in  the  soul  it  is  else- 
where said,  "When  thou  goest,  it  shall  lead  thee; 
when  thou  sleepest,  it  shall  keep  thee;  and  when 
thou  walkest,  it  shall  talk  with  thee :  for  the  com- 
mandment is  a  lamp,  and  the  law  is  light."  Prov.  vi. 
22,  23.  The  whole  law  becomes  light  in  the  mind 
of  the  believer.  He  comes  at  last  to  doubt  the  veri- 
ties of  the  Divine  word,  as  little  as  he  doubts  his 
own  existence.  It  is  to  him  a  revelation  discovering 
ever-increasing  heights  and  depths  of  moral  light  and 
beauty;  and  "in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great  re- 
ward." "  Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things,  hav- 
ing promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which 
is  to  come."  1  Tim.  iv.  8.  It  is  impossible  to  obey 
any  law  of  God,  whether  a  physical,  an  intellectual, 
or  a  moral  law,  without  experiencing  pleasure  in  and 
through  the  very  act  of  obedience.  This  is  specially 
true  of  obedience  to  moral  laws.  "In  keeping  of 
them  there  is  great  reward;"  great  reward  in  the 
pleasure  afforded  by  the  simple  act  of  obedience. 
But  besides  this  great  reward  in  the  act  itself,  God 


236  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

has  added  to  obedience  a  reward  of  grace,  rewarding 
the  very  obedience  inspired  by  His  own  truth  and 
grace,  as  if  it  were  altogether  the  believer's  own,  and 
rendered  in  his  own  strength.  It  was  thus  that  he 
treated  those  to  whom  he  committed  the  talents, 
rewarding  them  for  what  they  had  acquired  only 
through  his  bounty.  The  reward  was  conferred,  not 
as  wages  and  in  the  way  of  merit,  but  as  a  token  of 
the  Divine  approbation. 

Verse  12.     Who  can    understand  lais  errors?    cleanse  thou  me 
from  secret  faults. 

Taught  the  spirituality  of  the  Divine  law,  as  reach- 
ing to  the  thoughts,  the  feelings,  and  the  motives, 
and  comparing  therewith  the  operations  of  his  own 
heart,  David  demands  "who  can  understand  his 
errors'?" — who  can  tell  how  oft  he  offendeth'? — who 
can  tell  in  what  thought,  word,  or  deed  of  his,  there 
has  not  been  some  taint  of  sin'? — who  can  tell,  judging 
himself  by  the  purity  of  the  Divine  law,  whether  that 
which  he  thought  no  sin  at  all,  is  not  altogether  sin- 
ful It  is  through  the  teachings  of  the  Divine  law, 
that  the  soul  learns  its  extreme  sinfulness.  "I  had 
not  known  sin,"  says  St.  Paul,  "  except  by  the  law." 
And  no  man  is  so  ready  to  cry  out,  "  Cleanse  thou 
me  from  secret  faults,"  as  the  man  who  has  studied 
that  law  longest,  and  kept  it  most  perfectly.  He 
sees  himself  filled  with  infirmities  of  which  he  once 
had  never  suspected  himself;  and  he  knows  that  He 
whose  eye  searches  through  all,  must  see  faults  of 
which  he  is  still  unconscious.  Hence,  even  from 
secret,  unconscious,  unknown  faults,  David  prays 
God  to  deliver  him — faults  of  ignorance,  of  prejudice, 
of  thoughtlessness.  There  is  a  fearful  passage  in 
Leviticus  respecting  sins  committed  through  an  igno- 


PSALM   XIX.  237 

ranee  which  a  diligent  use  of  means  might  have 
removed.  It  reads,  "If  a  soul  sin,  and  commit  any 
of  these  things  which  are  forbidden  to  be  done  by  the 
commandments  of  the  Lord,  though  he  wist  it  not, 
yet  is  he  guilty,  and  shall  bear  his  iniquity."  Lev. 
V.  17.  None  but  an  invincible  ignorance,  an  igno- 
rance that  could  not  have  been  overcome,  extenuates 
the  guilt  of  sin. 

Verse  13.  Keep  back  thy  servant  also  from  presumptuous  sins; 
let  them  not  have  dominion  over  me :  then  shall  I  be  upright, 
and  I  shall  be  innocent  from  the  great  transgression. 

Having  in  the  preceding  verse  prayed  that  his  sins 
of  ignorance  and  infirmity  may  be  pardoned,  David 
here  prays  that  he  may  be  preserved  from  sins  of 
presumption.  The  sentiment  of  the  last  verse  is, 
"forgive  us  our  trespasses;"  the  sentiment  of  this 
verse  is,  "  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us 
from  evil."  That  verse  is  a  prayer  for  pardoning 
mercy;  this  for  preventing  and  preserving  grace. 
There  were  sacrifices  appointed  to  make  atonement 
for  the  sins  of  the  man  who  had  sinned  ignorantly; 
but  there  were  none  appointed  for  him  who  had 
sinned  knowingly  and  presumptuously.  Numb.  xv. 
27-31.  Hence  St.  Paul's  saying,  "If  we  sin  wilfully, 
after  that  we  have  received  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  there  remaineth  no  more  sacrifice  for  sin,  but 
a  certain  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery 
indignation,  which  shall  devour  the  adversaries." 
Heb.  X.  26-28.  It  is  a  perilous  thing  to  do  what  we 
know  to  be  wrong;  and  of  this  the  profane  swearer 
is  guilty  every  time  he  utters  an  oath,  and  the  Sab- 
bath-breaker every  time  he  passes  the  Sabbath  in  a 
way  not  sanctioned  by  the  law  of  God.  The  man 
gathering  wood  on  the   Sabbath  is  an  instance  of 


238  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

wilful  and  presumptuous  sinning ;  he  knew,  when  he 
did  it,  that  he  was  violating  a  Divine  law,  and  being 
consulted  as  to  what  should  be  done  with  him,  God 
commanded  him  to  be  put  to  death.  Num.  xv.  32-36. 
David,  then,  had  good  reason  for  praying  to  be  pre- 
served from  known,  presumptuous,  and  daring  sins. 
It  was  only  as  he  should  be  preserved  from  such,  that 
he  could  continue  evangelically  upright,  and  innocent 
of  the  great  transgression — final  apostasy;  or,  as 
some  render  the  words,  of  much  transgression,  a 
career  of  reckless  sinning,  that  would  at  last  so 
harden  the  soul  as  to  render  the  attainment  of  eter- 
nal life  impossible.  To  falling  into  such  sins  every 
man  is  liable  who  is  not  continually  restrained  by 
the  grace  of  God.  "The  Lord  left  me  but  for  a 
moment,  and  see  what  I  have  done!"  said  an  emi- 
nently gifted,  devoted,  and  laborious  clergyman  to 
his  family,  as  they  rushed  into  his  room  and  found 
him  weltering  in  his  blood — a  suicide ! 

Verse  14.  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth,  and  the  meditation  of 
my  heart,  be  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  0  Lord,  my  strength, 
and  my  redeemer. 

David's  strength  is  the  Lord ;  his  redeemer  is  the 
Lord.  His  only  hope  and  trust  is  the  Being  whose 
natural  attributes  of  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and 
goodness,  the  heavens  declare;  and  whose  moral 
attributes  of  infinite  holiness,  truth,  and  mercy,  his 
law  proclaims.  David  does  not  speak  of  God's  phy- 
sical works,  to  contrast  them  with  his  moral  mani- 
festations of  himself,  but  to  show  that  he  who  framed 
such  heavens  as  those  which  overcanopy  our  earth, 
and  stretch  away  through  space,  could  not  do  other- 
wise than  give  a  perfect  moral  law  for  the  govern- 
ment of  his  rational  creatures :  a  law  that  would  do 


PSALM  XIX.  239 

for  the  soul,  what  the  sun  does  for  the  earth — clothe 
it  with  light,  and  life,  and  beauty ;  a  law,  too,  that 
claims  the  right  to  control  the  whole  man;  the  out- 
ward act,  and  the  inward  thought;  the  words  of  the 
mouth,  and  the  meditation  of  the  heart.  To  be 
wholly  governed  by  this  law,  is  every  man's  duty. 
It  is  the  only  way  in  which  any  man  can  be  happy 
in  the  presence  of  a  holy  God.  It  is  a  law  which 
the  angels  in  heaven  could  not  cease  to  obey,  without 
becoming  wretched.  Indeed,  it  is  a  law  which  God 
himself  could  not  cease  to  obey,  without  sending  the 
shock  of  infinite  and  eternal  woe  through  his  whole 
being.  It  is  the  basis  even  of  the  Divine  happiness, 
as  it  is  a  transcript  of  the  Divine  character.  It  is 
every  rational  being's  only  element  of  eternal  bliss. 
Do  you  wonder,  then,  beloved  reader,  that  David 
speaks  of  the  law  of  the  Lord  as  he  does?  or  that 
those  desiring  your  everlasting  welfare,  urge  upon 
you  the  study  of  this  law  as  they  do?  Or  do  you 
wonder  that  even  Christ,  the  Lord  from  heaven,  died 
to  purchase  for  you  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  enable  you  to 
love  and  obey  it;  to  put  it  into  your  minds,  and  write 
it  in  your  hearts,  in  lines  that  shall  never  fade,  and 
impulses  that  shall  never  cease?  God  himself  must 
cease  to  be  what  he  is,  and  the  soul  cease  to  be  what 
it  is,  before  it  can  be  eternally  happy,  without  loving 
and  obeying  the  law  of  the  Lord.  It  tells  us,  in  words 
that  none  can  fail  to  understand,  of  Him  in  knowledge 
of  whom  standeth  our  eternal  life.  "  It  has  God  for 
its  author,  salvation  for  its  end,  and  truth,  without 
any  mixture  of  error,  for  its  matter."  The  more  we 
learn  of  this  law,  and  the  more  we  imbibe  of  its  spirit, 
the  more  vehemently  shall  we  pant  after  its  purity, 
hunger  and  thirst  after  its  righteousness,  and  make 


240  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

our  incessant  prayer  what  David's  was,  "Let  the 
words  of  my  mouth,  and  the  meditation  of  my  heart, 
be  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  O  Lord,  my  strength,  and 
my  Redeemer." 


LECTURE    ON  PSALM   XX. ^ 

Verse  1.     The  Lord  hear  thee  in  the  day  of  trouble:  the  name 
of  the  God  of  Jacob  defend  thee. 

The  twentieth  psalm  is  a  sacred  war  song,  sung  by 
the  Israehtes,  as  their  king  was  going  out  to  battle; 
a  song  wherein  they  express,  in  a  direct  address  to 
their  king,  their  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God, 
that  he  would  lead  him  forth  to  victory.  It  was 
customary,  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  world,  for  the 
king  to  lead  his  people  in  their  wars.  The  preserva- 
tion of  his  life  while  so  engaged,  was  of  course  a 
matter  of  extreme  interest  to  his  people.  Nearly  all 
the  nations  of  antiquity,  therefore,  preceded  their 
campaigns  with  solemn  rites  and  religious  ceremo- 
nies. As  they  weie  about  to  engage  in  a  war  with 
the  Philistines,  Samuel  said  to  his  countrymen — 
"Gather  all  Israel  together  at  Mizpeli,  and  I  will 
pray  for  you  unto  the  Lord."  1  Sam.  vii.  5.  With 
the  prophet's  prayers  there  were  also  fasting,  con- 
fession of  sin,  and  sacrifice,  (verses  6,  9.)  A  like 
proceeding  is  described  in  the  psalm  before  us, 
wherein  we  have  not  only  the  sacrifices  offered,  but 
also  the  prayer  used.  Its  beauty  and  propriety  no 
one  can  fail  to  perceive,  who  considers  the  circum- 
stances that  called  it  forth.     The  nation  is  moved. 


PSALM   XX.  241 

Their  country  is  about  to  be  invaded  by  powerful  and 
relentless  enemies;  and  the  man  through  whom, 
under  God,  their  liberties  have  been  achieved,  and 
through  whom  alone  they  can  be  perpetuated,  must 
lead  the  onset,  and  direct  the  battle.  How  many  a 
time  since  the  world  began  have  the  hopes  of  a  nation 
centered  in  a  single  man,  and  expired  when  he  fell! 
When,  therefore,  David's  loving  and  confiding  sub- 
jects saw  him  compelled  to  lay  aside  for  a  time,  the 
sceptre  of  the  king  for  the  sword  of  the  general,  how 
natural  the  fervid  wish  they  express  for  him  in  the 
words,  "the  Lord  hear  thee  in  the  day  of  trouble: 
the  name  of  the  God  of  Jacob  defend  thee !"  It  was 
wishing  help  for  him  from  the  only  source  whence 
effectual  help  can  come.  "  The  Lord  hear  thee  in 
the  day  of  trouble."  The  day  of  trouble  in  this  place 
means  the  day  of  battle.  It  was  then,  when  violence 
and  death  would  be  on  every  side,  that  David's  sub- 
jects pray  the  Lord  to  cover  his  head,  and  hear  his 
prayer — "The  name  of  the  God  of  Jacob  defend 
thee:"  it  is  not  an  "unknown  God"  to  whom  David's 
friends  appeal.  It  is  the  God  of  Jacob,  whose  name 
is  the  synonym  of  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and  good- 
ness: who  had  covenanted  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  to  be  a  God  to  them,  and  to  their  seed  after 
them,  for  ever :  and  who  proclaims  his  name  in  the 
words,  "the  Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gra- 
cious, long-suffering  and  abundant  in  goodness  and 
truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  ini- 
quity, and  transgression,  and  sin,  and  that  will  by  no 
means  clear  the  guilty."  Exod,  xxxiv.  5-7.  Indeed, 
this  whole  character  of  the  Divine  Being,  as  here 
given  by  himself,  a  character  of  infinite  holiness, 
truth,  mercy,  and  justice,  God  had  developed  in  his 
21 


242  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

dealings  with  his  covenant  people.  Consequently  in 
desiring  Jacob's  God  to  defend  their  king,  the  Israel- 
ites were  only  desiring  him  to  be  to  David  in  the  day 
of  battle  what  he  had  been  to  Abraham,  and  Moses, 
and  Joshua,  and  Gideon,  and  Jephtha — his  sword, 
and  shield,  and  banner. 

Verse  2.     Send  thee  lielp  from  the  sanctuary,  and  strengthen 
thee  out  of  Zion. 

It  is  surprising  to  see  with  what  heroism  the  grace 
of  God  can  inspire  the  weakest  and  most  timid  of 
human  beings.  It  finds  them  when  the  day  of  trou- 
ble comes  upon  them,  fearing  no  evil.  They  may 
have  had  many  fears  before,  but  there  is  no  fear  then. 
The  Spirit  in  their  hearts  forbids  the  feeling.  It 
enables  them  to  smile  at  that  which  drives  others 
mad;  to  feel  secure  in  the  midst  of  dangers;  and  to 
hail  as  manifestations  of  love,  what  others  can  regard 
only  as  tokens  of  wrath.  All  this  the  grace  of  God 
does  for  us.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  nothing  but 
help  from  the  sanctuary,  and  strength  out  of  Zion, 
can  accomplish  it.  No  other  religion  can,  save  that 
prefigured  in  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  taber- 
nacle, and  perfected  by  Christ.  It  is  only  the  reli- 
gion setting  forth  atonement  for  sin,  and  purification 
from  its  stains,  that  so  strengthens  the  heart,  makes 
the  weak  strong,  and  the  timid  bold.  All  other  reli- 
gions have  been  broken  staves,  and  bruised  reeds, 
piercing  all  those  who  have  leaned  upon  them  for 
support.  "Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world, 
but  he  that  belie veth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God]" 
1  John  V.  5 ;  is  a  claim  for  the  peculiar  power  of  the 
Christian  religion  set  up  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago.  The  claim  has  never  been  disproved.  Faith 
in  a  divine  Saviour,  in  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  as  seen 


PSALM    XX.  243 

in  the  services  on  Mount  Zion,  or  on  the  cross  upon 

Calvary,  is  the  only  thing  that  has  endued  the  soul 

with  strength  to  withstand  in  the  day  of  evil,  and 

having  done  all,  to  stand.     How  full  of  meaning, 

then,  is  the   people's  prayer  for   their  king,    "the 

Lord   send    thee    help    from    the    sanctuary,    and 

strengthen  thee  out  of  Zion." 

Verse  3.     Remember  all  thy  offerings,  and  accept  thy  burnt- 
sacrifice.     Selah. 

Many  suppose  the  Selah  of  this  verse  to  indicate  a 
pause  in  the  song  at  this  point,  to  allow  time  to  make 
the  sacrifice  and  offerings  mentioned.  The  burnt- 
sacrifice  was  that  wherein  the  animal  being  slain, 
and  its  blood  sprinkled  round  the  altar,  every  part  of 
it  was  laid  upon  the  altar  and  burned  to  ashes.  Its 
being  wholly  consumed  is  the  reason  why  it  is  some- 
times called  a  holocaust.  The  lohole-huYni  off'ering, 
was  a  sacrifice  of  atonement,  a  sacrifice  wherein  the 
ofl"erer  acknowledged  that  he  himself  deserved  to  die 
as  his  victim  died,  and  to  be  consumed  as  it  was  con- 
sumed. This  being  done  in  reliance  on  God's  mercy, 
secured  the  offerer  the  pardon  of  liis  sins.  This 
accomplished,  he  then  makes  a  bloodless  offering,  an 
offering,  with  incense  and  oil,  of  some  product  of  the 
earth.  This  latter  offering  was  an  offering  of  com- 
munion between  him  and  his  now  reconciled  God, 
and  also  a  consecration  of  himself  and  of  all  that  he 
had  to  the  service  of  God.  Following  the  sacrifice  of 
atonement  just  made,  and  believed  to  have  been  mer- 
cifully accepted,  it  is  the  consecration  of  which  St. 
Paul  speaks,  where,  after  having  set  forth  the  fulness 
of  the  atonement  made  for  our  sins  by  Christ,  he 
says,  "I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the 
mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present  yourselves  a  limng 


244  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

sacrifice^  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your 
reasonable  service."  E,om.  xii.  1.  Such  is  the  import 
of  the  words,  "Remember  all  thy  offerings,  and 
accept  thy  burnt-sacrifice."  It  was  desiring  for  their 
king,  not  only  the  pardon  of  his  sins,  but  also  the 
acceptance  of  his  person  and  of  his  services ;  that  he 
might  go  forth  to  fight  their  battles  for  them,  justi- 
fied, accepted,  and  in  communion  with  God.  It  is  a 
desire  that  the  people  of  God  cannot  cherish  too  fer- 
vently, nor  offer  up  too  frequently,  for  those  whom 
God  in  his  providence  has  appointed  to  lead  them  in 
their  Christian  warfare. 

Verse  4.     Grant  thee  according  to  thine  own  heart,  and  fulfil 
all  thy  counsel. 

Supposing  the  prayer  of  the  preceding  verse  to 
have  been  vouchsafed,  the  people  may  safely  pray 
God  to  grant  their  king  the  desires  of  his  heart.  If 
his  heart  had  been  touched  by  the  regenerating  grace 
of  God,  the  Spirit  itself  would  indite  his  petitions, 
and  would,  of  course,  indite  only  such  things  as  were 
agreeable  to  the  will  of  God.  "  This  is  the  confi- 
dence," says  St.  John,  "that  we  have  in  Him,  that  if 
we  ask  anything  according  to  his  will,  he  heareth 
us."  1  John  V.  14.  The  prayer  of  a  truly  devout  and 
righteous  man  is  nothing  less  than  the  breathings  of 
the  Divine  Spirit,  making  intercessions  for  him;  and 
what  God  the  Spirit  inspires,  God  the  Father  can 
never  fail  to  answer.  David's  heart's  desire,  to  sub- 
due his  and  their  enemies,  being  so  inspired,  his 
people  could  without  risk  ask  God  to  grant  it. 
David's  situation  was  an  enviable  one!  having  a  peo- 
ple continually  praying  God  to  grant  him  his  heart's 
desire!  O  how  the  consciousness  of  having  such  a 
people  encourages  the  heart  of  the  Christian  leader ! 


PSALM  XX.  245 

It  fills  him  with  hope,  and  zcul,  and  energy,  when  he 
would  otherwise  fliint  by  the  way.  His  people's 
prayers  for  him  are  the  right  arm  of  a  minister's 
strength. 

Verse  5.  "We  will  rejoice  In  thy  salvation,  and  in  the  name  of 
our  God  wc  will  set  up  our  banners:  the  Lord  fulfil  all  thy 
petitions. 

The  people  still  continue  their  address  to  their 
king,  declaring  that  they  will  rejoice  in  his  preserva- 
tion, and  that,  to  encourage  him  to  engage  without 
fear  in  the  conflict  before  him,  they  will  set  up  their 
banners  in  the  name  of  their  God.  Setting  up  their 
banners  in  the  name  of  God,  means  that  the  whole 
nation  would  go  forth  to  battle  with  their  king,  each 
tribe  marching  under  its  own  banner — a  banner  on 
which,  tradition  says,  was  painted  the  symbol  of  the 
tribe,  corresponding  to  Jacob's  blessings.  Gen.  xlix. 
It  was  a  custom  with  the  nations  of  antiquity  to  in- 
scribe their  banners  with  the  insignia  of  their  reli- 
gion. It  may  have  been  under  banners  of  this  sort, 
inscribed  also  with  sacred  mottos,  that  the  Israelites 
promised  to  set  themselves  in  martial  array.  Or, 
setting  up  their  banners  in  the  name  of  God,  may 
mean  that  they  would  unfurl  their  banners  upon 
every  mountain  top,  till  the  Avhole  nation  should  rally 
to  the  help  of  their  king.  It  matters  little  which 
explanation  we  adopt  as  the  more  probable ;  either 
exhibits  the  same  glorious  spectacle — a  whole  nation 
ready  and  eager  to  follow  their  king  wherever  he 
may  lead  them,  and  fight  with  him  unto  death  against 
every  enemy  that  would  come  against  them !  A  na- 
tion that  so  unites  with  its  head  deserves  to  conquer, 
and  will  conquer.  No  other  nation,  or  church,  has 
any  right  to  expect  the  Divine  blessing.  Great  as 
21* 


246  LECTURES  ON  TUE  PSALMS. 

he  was  as  a  general,  David  would  have  made  no  head 
against  the  hostile  powers  surrounding  him  if  he  had 
been  left  to  contend  alone.  Pie  could  only  direct 
the  battle,  and  if  his  people  did  not  choose  to  fight 
with  him,  it  must  be  lost.  It  is  the  same  with  the 
commissioned  soldier  of  Christ  now.  If  his  people 
will  not  wage  the  great  spiritual  battle  with  him,  it 
must  be  lost.  Leaving  its  battles  to  be  fought,  and 
its  victories  won,  mainly  by  its  commissioned  officers, 
has  come  to  be  the  great  calamity  of  the  Christian 
Church.  The  consequence  is  that  every  year  the 
Church  of  God  is  becoming  more  and  more  an  army 
without  leaders.  We  thank  God  that  its  officers  are 
not  found  shrinking  from  the  contest,  but  having 
often  to  wage  it  so  nearly  alone,  how  many  of  them 
fill  a  soldier's  grave  years  too  soon !  "  The  Lord  fulfil 
all  thy  petitions."  This,  with  the  Israelites,  was  no 
idle,  unmeaning  prayer;  what  they  asked  God  to 
grant  their  king,  they  laboured  to  realize  by  their 
co-operation  with  him.  They  did  not  regard  him  as 
their  champion  to  fight  their  battles  for  them,  but 
only  as  their  leader  to  conduct  them  to  the  field. 

Verse  6.  Now  know  I  that  the  Lord  saveth  his  anointed;  he 
will  hear  him  from  his  holy  heaven  with  the  saving  strength 
of  his  right  hand. 

What  token  God  had  given  the  Israelites  that  he 
would  preserve  their  king  in  the  midst  of  the  dangers 
to  which  he  was  about  to  be  exposed,  we  are  not 
informed.  It  may  have  been  fire  descending  from 
heaven  to  consume  the  sacrifice  and  offerings.  This 
was  the  token  of  the  Divine  favour  vouchsafed  to 
Elijah  in  his  contest  with  the  prophets  of  Baal.  "The 
fire  of  the  Lord  fell,  and  consumed  the  burnt-sacrifice, 
and  the  wood,  and  the   stones,  and   the  dust,  and 


rsALM  XX.  247 

licked  up  the  water  that  was  in  the  trench."  1  Kings 
xviii.  38.  This  token  of  the  Divine  favour — miracu- 
lous fire  consuming  the  sacrifice — was  not  uncom- 
mon. Lev.  ix.  24;  Judges  vi.  21;  1  Chron.  xxi.  26; 
2  Chron.  vii.  1.  On  this  occasion,  however,  the  token 
of  the  Divine  acceptance  may  not  have  been  miracu- 
lous fire;  it  may  have  been  the  conviction  that  God 
sometimes  works  in  the  hearts  of  those  ofi'ering 
prayer  to  him,  that  their  petitions  will  certainly  be 
granted.  It  is  sometimes  the  believer's  privilege  to 
rise  from  his  knees  with  the  burthen  removed  from 
his  heart,  filled  with  the  assurance  that  his  prayer, 
in  God's  own  good  time,  will  be  answered.  In  this 
way  the  dying  parent  receives  assurance  that  his 
children,  who  are  yet  in  their  sins,  will  in  due  time 
be  gathered  into  the  Ark  of  safety.  "  Now  know  I 
that  the  Lord  will  save  them,"  is  the  language  both 
of  his  heart  and  of  his  lips.  An  assurance  of  this  sort 
filled  the  Saviour's  heart  when  about  to  raise  Lazarus 
from  the  dead.  While  he  was  yet  on  his  way  to  the 
grave,  he  said,  "  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast 
heard  me."  John  xi.  41.  Before  he  uttered  the  words, 
"Lazarus,  come  forth!"  he  knew  that  they  would 
be  obeyed.  So  each  particular  Israelite  says,  "Now 
know  I  that  the  Lord  saveth  his  anointed."  It  was 
the  assured  conviction  of  every  mind  that  the  right 
hand  of  the  Divine  power  would  be  over  their  king, 
to  preserve  him  alive,  and  give  him  success.  It  is  a 
bright  omen  when  the  faith  of  an  entire  church  be- 
comes one  and  the  same.  It  is  an  indication  that 
the  Lord's  Anointed,  the  Lord's  Messiah,  is  about  to 
lead  his  people  forth  to  such  spiritual  conquests  as 
are  seldom  made.  This  faith  of  a  multitude  expressed 
as  the  faith  of  one  only,  is  the  faith  contemplated  by 


248  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

our  own  Church.  In  our  prayers  and  praises,  we 
speak  in  the  phiral  number,  saying,  "Almighty  and 
most  merciful  Father,  we  have  erred  and  strayed  from 
thy  ways;"  ^'ice  praise  thee,  O  God;  wc  acknowledge 
thee  to  be  the  Lord."  But  when  we  come  to  the 
creed,  though  thousands  may  be  repeating  it  with  us, 
we  drop  the  plural,  and  speak  only  in  the  singular 
number,  saying,  "I — I  believe  in  God  the  Father 
Almighty;  I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  his  only  Son 
our  Lord ;  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  It  is  this 
personal,  individualizing  faith — and  yet  also  consoli- 
dating, embracing  in  the  unity  of  its  spirit  the  blessed 
company  of  all  believing  people,  because  inspiring  all 
with  one  heart  and  one  mind — it  is  this  faith  that 
prevails  with  God.  It  was  this  individualizing,  and 
yet  also  consolidating  faith,  that  called  down  the 
Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  ushered  in 
the  Christian  dispensation  in  its  fulness.  It  is  indeed 
true,  that  all  the  disciples  were  seeking  the  same 
promised  blessings,  yet  the  secret  of  their  prevalence 
was,  that  they  "all  continued  with  one  accord  in 
prayer  and  supplication."  Acts  i.  14;  ii.  1. 

Verses  7,  8.  Some  trust  in  chariots,  and  some  in  liorscs:  but 
■we  will  remember  the  name  of  the  Lord  our  God.  They  are 
brought  down  and  fallen;  but  we  are  risen,  and  stand  upright. 

Both  the  chariot  and  the  horse  were  forbidden  the 
Israelites  in  war.  The  prohibition  may  have  been 
because  the  generally  mountainous  character  of  Judea 
rendered  them  comparatively  useless  as  an  arm  of 
military  power.  Yet  horsemen  and  war-chariots  Avere 
the  right  arm  of  the  military  power  of  the  nations 
around  them.  And  a  fearful  engine  of  destruction  the 
war-chariot  was !  Armed  with  a  spear-pronged  pole, 
with  long  scythes  projecting  from  both  ends  of  its 


rsALM  XX.  249 

axle,  and  drawn  by  horses,  breaking  tlie  ranks  of  an 
enemy,  it  mowed  men  down  like  grass!  Those  sup- 
plied with  these  chariots  and  iron-mailed  horses  and 
horsemen,  were  the  most  formidable  enemies  with 
whom  the  Israelites  had  to  contend,  their  own  wea- 
pons being  for  the  most  part  only  the  sword,  the 
spear,  the  sling,  and  the  bow.  Their  enemies  also 
often  counted  their  horsemen  and  chariots  by  the 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands.  In  these  they 
trusted;  but  in  their  contests  with  Israel  their  trust 
failed  them.  Through  the  help  of  God  the  Israelites 
discomfited  and  laid  them  low.  No  power  of  human 
device  can  stand  against  the  power  of  God.  "  Thou 
comest  to  me,"  said  David  to  Goliath,  "with  a  sword, 
and  with  a  spear,  and  with  a  shield,  but  I  come  to 
thee  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts,  the  God 
of  the  armies  of  Israel,  whom  thou  hast  defied." 
1  Sam.  xvii.  45.  A  pebble  of  the  brook  from  a  sim- 
ple sling  felled  the  boasting  giant  to  the  earth.  And 
God  can  always  cause  means  of  defence,  simple  as  a 
sling  and  stone,  to  repel  the  assaults  of  the  mightiest. 
The  believer  should  never  fear  what  man  can  do  unto 
him.  He  who  has  right  on  his  side,  may  be  sure 
that  God  will  in  due  time  vindicate  his  character. 
He  who  takes  the  avenging  of  his  wrongs  into  his 
own  hands,  rather  than  leave  their  avengement  to  a 
just  and  omnipotent  God,  is  an  infidel.  He  acts  as 
if  there  were  no  God,  and  no  hereafter.  Invisible 
guardians  are  round  about  those  who  make  God  their 
trust,  and  his  laws  their  rule  of  conduct.  "Fear 
not,"  said  Elisha  to  the  young  man  terrified  at  the 
sight  of  the  Syrian  hosts,  with  chariots  and  horse- 
men surrounding  them,  "for  they  that  be  with  us 
are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them."     "And  the 


250  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  tlie  young  man;  and  he 
saw;  and  behold  the  mountain  was  full  of  horses 
and  chariots,  of  fire  round  about  Elisha,"  2  Kings  vi. 
16,  17. 

Verse  9.     Save,  Lord:  let  the  King  hear  us  when  we  call. 

The  King  the  people  here  invoke,  is  one  greater 
than  David;  even  the  King  whose  mission  is  to  go  on 
conquering  and  to  conquer,  till  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  submit  to  him ;  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of 
lords.  Rev.  xix.  16. 

This  psalm  teaches  the  Church  of  God  a  lesson 
which  they  should  never  forget,  which  is,  that  they 
should  pray  God  with  one  mind  and  one  heart  and 
without  ceasing,  to  grant  their  spiritual  head  strength 
and  wisdom  to  lead  wherever  duty  points  the  way, 
and  then  grace  to  follow  as  one  man.  Every  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  of  God  is  a  soldier  of  Christ,  and 
bound  to  fight  manfully  under  his  banner  unto  his 
life's  end.  It  is  mockery  for  a  Church  to  wish  their 
spiritual  leader  God-speed  in  his  contest  with  evil, 
while  they  do  not  wage  the  contest  with  him:  to  say  to 
him,  "  The  Lord  hear  thee  in  the  day  of  trouble ;  the 
name  of  the  God  of  Jacob  defend  thee:  send  thee 
help  from  the  sanctuary,  and  strengthen  thee  out  of 
Zion,"  unless  they  add  thereto,  immovably  resolved 
to  make  their  words  good,  "We  will  rejoice  in  thy 
salvation,  and  in  the  name  of  our  God  we  will  set  up 
our  banners."  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  a  pastor  will 
be  to  his  people  just  what  they  choose  to  make  him, 
a  savour  of  life  unto  life  to  them,  or  of  death  unto 
death.  Praying  for  him  and  co-operating  with  him, 
they  make  his  ministry  a  ministry  of  life  to  them ; 
refusing  him  their  prayers  and  co-operation,  they 
make  his  ministry  a  ministry  of  death  to  them.     To 


PSALM    XXI.  251 

insure  the  Divine  blessing  upon  the  word  spoken, 
there  must  be  fliith  and  prayer,  self-renunciation  and 
self-devotion,  in  the  pew  as  well  as  in  the  pulpit. 
Though  it  should  be  presented  with  all  the  argu- 
mentative power  of  a  Paul,  and  all  the  eloquence  of 
an  Apollos,  the  word  preached  does  not  profit,  where 
it  is  not  mixed  with  faith  in  them  that  hear  it.  Heb. 
iv.  2.  Faith  in  those  receiving  or  asking  his  bless- 
ing is  the  one  indispensable  condition  on  which 
Christ  confers  it;  we  accordingly  read,  that  where  faith 
was  wanting.  He  could  there  do  no  mighty  work, 
save  that  he  laid  his  hands  upon  a  few  sick  folk  and 
healed  them.  Mark  vi.  6.  Few  indeed  are  the  spirit- 
ually sick  whom  Christ  heals  in  a  church  the  faith  of 
whose  members  is  not  alive,  and  operative,  and  con- 
tinually praying  God  to  put  forth  his  power  to  save. 


LECTURE   ON  TSALM  XXL 

Verse  1.     The  king  shall  joy  in  thy  strength,  0  Lord;   and  in 
thy  salvation  how  greatly  shall  he  rejoice! 

This  is  said  by  the  people  of  their  king,  that  he  shall 
rejoice,  rejoice  greatly,  even  exult,  in  the  strength 
and  salvation  of  the  Lord.  The  world  have  but  one 
mode  of  estimating  the  power  and  security  of  a 
nation;  they  estimate  both  by  the  wisdom  of  its 
statesmen,  the  strength  of  its  armies  and  navies,  and 
the  magnitude  of  its  revenues.  If  these  abound,  the 
nation  glory  in  them,  and  reckon  upon  the  future 
as  theirs,  to  dispose  of  as  they  list.  We  read,  how- 
ever, as  a  check  upon  this  spirit  of  self-reliance,  "Let 
not  the  wise  man  glory  in  his  wisdom,  neither  let  the 


252  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

mighty  man  glory  in  his  might,  let  not  the  rich  man 
glory  in  his  riches ;  but  let  him  that  glorieth,  glory 
in  this,  that  he  understandeth  and  knoweth  me,  that 
I  am  the  Lord,  which  exercise  loving-kindness,  judg- 
ment, and  righteousness  in  the  earth:  for  in  these 
things  I  delight,  saith  the  Lord."  Jer.  ix.  23,  24. 
No  legitimate  human  means  of  success  are  to  be 
neglected,  but  to  be  used — to  be  used,  however,  with 
the  feeling  that  God  alone  can  give  them  efficiency. 
Using  human  means  with  this  feeling,  is  joying  in 
the  strength  of  the  Lord,  in  his  strength  as  render- 
ing the  simplest  means  adequate  to  overcome  the 
greatest  obstacles  and  the  most  powerful  enemies; 
the  lifting  up  of  a  rod  adequate  to  open  a  high- 
way for  the  people  of  God  through  the  depths  of  the 
sea;  the  blowing  of  a  trumpet  to  shake  down  the 
strongest  walls,  and  a  pebble  from  a  sling  to  pros- 
trate a  giant  in  the  dust.  Israel's  king  could  well 
rejoice  in  such  strength,  and  exult  in  his  preserva- 
tion by  such  a  Being !  It  was  strength  that  rendered 
his  human  strength  virtually  omnipotent,  and'insured 
his  safety  in  the  midst  of  dangers.  "  The  king  shall 
joy  in  thy  strength,  O  Lord;  and  in  thy  salvation 
how  greatly  shall  he  rejoice!"  Happy  are  the  people 
who  can  say  this  of  their  leaders  and  rulers,  that  they 
are  men  who  glory  only  in  the  help  and  protection  of 
God,  and  who,  helped  and  protected  by  him,  are 
labouring  to  make  the  world  they  live  in  like  the 
heaven  to  which  they  aspire.  God  grant  that  neither 
the  church  nor  the  state  may  ever  want  for  men 
actuated  by  this  faith. 

Verse  2.     Thou  hast  given  him  his  heart's  desire,  and  hast  not 
withholden  the  request  of  his  lips. 

The  God  with  whom  we  have  to  do,  is  a  discerner 


PSALM  XXI.  263 

of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  I  may  be 
so  ignorant  as  not  to  know  how  to  pray;  dying,  and 
imable  to  pray;  or  filled  with  emotions  that  stifle 
utterance.  It  makes  no  diff'erence ;  I  am  not  thereby 
cut  off  from  communion  with  the  Father  of  my  spirit. 
He  looketh  into  the  heart,  seeth  all  its  desires,  and 
interprets  them  as  prayer.  Hence  the  promise,  "It 
shall  come  to  pass,  that  before  they  call,  I  will  an- 
swer ;  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear." 
Isa.  Ixv.  24.  God  is  so  ready  to  hear  prayer,  that  he 
will  answer  it  not  only  while  its  words  are  yet  upon 
the  lips,  but  while  it  exists  in  the  unuttered  desires 
of  the  heart.  It  was  thus  that  he  dealt  with  David, 
granting  him  the  desire  of  his  heart  as  well  as  the 
request  of  his  lips,  conferring  on  him  the  success  im- 
plored in  the  preceding  psalm. 

Verse  3.     For  thou  preventest  him  with  the  blessings  of  good- 
ness ;  thou  settest  a  crown  of  pure  gold  on  his  head. 

The  goodness  of  God  continually  anticipates  our 
wants.  The  blessings  of  his  goodness  often  come  on 
us  while  we  are  not  expecting  them,  and  not  even 
thinking  of  them.  Satisfied  with  his  humble  condi- 
tion as  the  keeper  of  his  father's  sheep,  there  were 
no  thoughts  of  a  kingdom  in  David's  mind  when  the 
Lord  sent  Samuel  to  anoint  him  to  the  throne  of 
Israel.  David's  whole  history  is  full  of  blessings  and 
honours  coming  upon  him  as  unexpectedly.  And  we 
are  the  subjects  of  this  preventing,  anticipating  good- 
ness, as  really  as  David  was.  The  whole  scheme  of 
our  salvation,  conceived  and  virtually  consummated 
before  the  world  was,  is  an  illustration  of  the  fact. 
And  the  effectual  carrying  home  of  that  salvation  by 
the  Divine  Spirit  is  also  equally  anticipative,  that 
Divine  Agent  having  actually  to  overcome  an  innate 
22 


254  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

opposition  in  the  soul  to  its  reception  even  as  a  free 
gift.  Not  one  of  us  seeks  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ, 
till  the  Divine  Spirit  first  predisposes  us  to  the  work. 
"Thou  settest  a  crown  of  pure  gold  on  his  head." 
David  once  had  a  crown  of  gold,  adorned  with  precious 
stones,  set  on  his  head ;  a  crown  of  immense  value 
that  he  took  from  one  of  the  kings  he  had  conquered. 
2  Sam.  xii.  30.  It  is  heheved,  however,  that  there 
is  no  reference  to  that  crown  here.  In  this  place, 
"a  crown  of  pure  gold"  means  the  glorious  kingdom 
with  which  David  had  heen  honoured — a  kingdom  of 
Divine  laws,  Divine  institutions,  and  Divine  superin- 
tendence— a  kingdom  which,  through  one  of  David's 
successors  on  the  throne  of  Israel,  would  become 
universal  and  eternal — Messiah's  kingdom  of  ever- 
lasting righteousness !  In  the  glory  of  this  kingdom, 
perfected  in  the  Son  of  David,  all  may  share  who 
will  submit  themselves  to  the  laws  of  its  Head — 
Divine  Mercy  incarnate,  exalted  to  supreme  power, 
to  confer  glory,  honour,  and  immortality,  upon  all 
those  seeking  them  in  His  name. 

Yerse  4.     lie  asked  life  of  thee,  and  thou  gavest  it  him,  even 
length  of  days  for  ever  and  ever, 

David's  utmost  ambition  seems  to  have  been  to  live 
in  his  posterity,  upon  the  throne  of  Israel,  imto  the 
end  of  the  world;  2  Sam.  vii.  13-16;  and  this  God 
had  promised  him;  not  however  in  the  sense  in 
which  David  had  asked  it,  but  in  a  much  sublimer 
sense.  It  was  not  life  to  the  end  of  the  world  that 
God  granted  him,  but  length  of  days  for  ever  and 
ever.  This  was  a  clear  pre-intimation  of  the  eternal 
life  that  God  hath  given  us  in  his  Son.  God  put 
into  the  words  of  David's  prayer,  a  fulness  of  meaning 
of  which  he  had   not  conceived,   a  fulness  which 


rsALM  xxr.  255 

nothing  but  the  advent  of  his  Divine  Son  has  ade- 
quately revealed.  In  him  alone  we  have  "  length  of 
days  for  ever  and  ever."  He  is  the  King  to  whom 
God  granted  it:  he  asked  life  for  himself,  and  the 
grave  surrendered  its  victim:  he  asked  life  for  those 
who  should  become  subjects  of  his  kingdom,  and  we 
hear  them  singing,  "O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  1  O 
grave,  where  is  thy  victory  1  Thanks  be  to  God 
which  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  1  Cor.  xv.  55,  56.  "  For  we  know  that  if 
the  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dissolved, 
we  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  2  Cor.  v.  1. 

Verses  5,  6.  His  glory  is  great  in  tliy  salvation:  honour  and 
majesty  hast  thou  laid  upon  him.  For  thou  hast  made  him 
most  blessed  for  ever:  thou  hast  made  him  exceeding  glad 
with  thy  countenance. 

While  apparently  speaking  only  of  their  living  king 
the  people  are  continually  using  language  that  can, 
in  all  the  fulness  of  its  meaning,  be  applied  to  One 
much  greater  than  he.  God  can,  indeed,  lay  glory, 
honour,  and  majesty  upon  a  king  of  finite  powers; 
and  he  had  laid  them  upon  David  to  a  degree  unpa- 
ralleled in  the  history  of  the  world.  But  when  it  is 
said,  "  Thou  hast  made  him  a  blessing  for  ever,"  a 
blessing  to  eternity^  the  mind  is  carried  forward  to  Him 
whom  David  only  represented,  to  the  Only-Begotten 
of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth.  He  is  the 
King  whom  God  has  constituted  the  source  and 
fountain  of  eternal  blessings.  The  word  blessed^  or 
blessing,  is  plural  in  the  Hebrew,  denoting  the  ful- 
ness of  the  blessings  coming  to  us  through  Christ,  so 
full  that  they  will  leave  the  soul  nothing  more  to 
desire.    "  Thou  hast  made  him  exceeding  glad  with 


256  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

thy  countenance:"  this  is  believed  to  refer  to  the 
gladness  that  Christ  experienced  in  gaining  the  vic- 
tory over  sin  for  man  in  man's  nature,  and  then 
being  exalted  in  that  nature  to  the  right  hand  of  the 
Majesty  on  high,  to  intercede  there  for  all  those 
asking  mercy  in  his  name,  and  evermore  receiving  it 
for  them  as  the  purchase  of  his  blood.  Our  Lord  is 
never  so  happy  as  when  he  sees  us  thankfully  em- 
bracing the  salvation  he  has  wrought  out  for  us.  He 
then  sees  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  is  satisfied. 
Isa.  liii.  11. 

Verse  7.    For  the  king  trustetli  in  the  Lord,  and  through  the 
mercy  of  the  Most  High  he  shall  not  be  moved. 

David's  trust  in  the  Lord  was  strong,  and  through 
the  mercy  of  the  Most  High  it  seldom  failed  to  sus- 
tain him.  Even  when,  on  one  occasion,  the  people 
spake  of  stoning  him,  he  still  encouraged  himself  in 
the  Lord  his  God.  1  Sam.  xxx.  6.  There  were  times, 
however,  when  David's  faith  wavered,  and  when,  as 
he  fell  into  grievous  sin,  it  seems  for  the  time  being 
to  have  failed  him.  In  speaking  then  of  a  king 
whose  trust  in  the  Lord  would  not  allow  him  to  be 
moved,  the  words  could,  in  their  highest  sense,  refer 
only  to  Him  whose  faith  in  God  still  sustained  him 
under  every  trial ;  to  him  whose  faith,  using  the  sim- 
ple words,  "it  is  written,"  repelled  every  assault  that 
Satan  himself  could  make  upon  it,  and  enabled  him, 
when  dying  under  the  frowns  and  execrations  of  a 
world,  and  even  under  the  hidings  of  his  own  Father's 
face,  to  say,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands,  I  commend  my 
spirit."  Luke  xxiii.  46.  His  faith  in  God  was  tried 
more  frequently  and  more  severely  than  that  of 
any  other,  and  it  was  never  found  wanting.  And 
when  we  see  him  still  beUeving,  still  trusting,  still 


PSALM  XXI.  257 

confiding  in  the  Divine  mercy  to  sustain  him  under 
trials,  the  very  recital  of  which  appal  us,  we  are  apt 
to  suppose  that  he  was  sustained  by  some  power  not 
accessible  to  us.  We  are  mistaken  in  that  supposi- 
tion. In  all  his  conflicts  with  evil  he  was  sustained 
by  only  such  communications  of  Divine  grace  as  are 
free  to  all  who  will  seek  them  as  he  sought  them.  It 
was  as  man  that  he  contended,  and  as  man  that  he 
prevailed,  strengthened  only  by  those  communications 
of  Divine  grace  that  he  died  to  purchase  for  us  all. 
If  he  had  contended  and  prevailed  by  any  other 
power  than  that  of  simple  faith  in  God,  he  could  not 
be  an  example  for  our  imitation.  We  read,  how- 
ever, that,  even  in  the  most  trying  passages  of  his 
life,  he  has  left  us  an  example,  that  we  should  follow 
his  steps.  1  Peter  ii.  21.  Trusting  in  the  mercy 
of  the  Most  High,  he  was  not  moved:  trusting  the 
same  mercy  through  him,  we  shall  not  be  moved, 
but  finally  overcome  even  as  he  overcame.  It  was 
no  vain  boast  in  St.  Paul,  saying,  "I  can  do  aU 
things  through  Christ,  who  strengtheneth  me." 
Phihp,  iv.  13. 

Verse  8.      Thy   hand   shall   find   out   all   thine   enemiesj    thy 
right  hand  shall  find  out  those  that  hate  thee. 

There  is  no  mistaking  the  hand  of  which  mention 
is  here  made.  It  is  the  hand  of  which  we  elsewhere 
read,  "  if  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning  and  dwell 
in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea;  even  there  shall 
thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy  right  hand  hold  me."  Ps. 
cxxxix.  10.  It  is  the  hand  of  the  anointed  King  of 
Zion,  of  him  who,  being  in  the  form  of  God,  thought 
it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God.  Philip,  ii.  6. 
How  his  hand  has  found  out  his  enemies,  and  his 
right  hand  those  that  hate  him,  is  shown  in  the  his- 
22* 


258  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

tory  of  his  Church.  The  orderings  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence have  always  in  the  end  overwhelmed  its  ene- 
mies with  confusion.  Every  effort  to  retard  its  pro- 
gress has  in  the  end  accelerated  it.  The  progress  of 
"  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus"  has  been  like  to  that  of 
some  mighty  river,  obstructed  at  points  in  its  course 
by  barriers  thro^vn  across  it.  The  barriers,  however, 
in  nowise  checking  the  swelling  of  the  tide  above, 
but  being,  by  the  increasing  pressure  of  that  tide, 
themselves  swept  away,  serve  in  the  end  no  other 
purpose  than  that  of  giving  the  river  a  larger  volume 
of  waters,  a  deeper  channel,  and  a  more  irresistible 
current  with  which  to  urge  its  way.  Fed  by  foun- 
tains that  can  never  fail,  he  who,  by  throwing  dams 
across  it,  attempts  to  interrupt  the  Mississippi  in  its 
flow,  will  be  swept  away  for  his  pains.  The  higher 
he  builds  his  dams,  the  greater  will  be  the  deluge 
with  which  he  is  doomed  at  last  to  be  overwhelmed. 
So  has  it  always  been  with  every  attempt  to  arrest 
the  onward  course  of  our  religion.  Every  such 
attempt  has  in  the  end  only  added  to  its  strength, 
inspiring  its  friends  with  new  hopes,  and  covering  its 
enemies  with  new  disgraces.  All  who  have  opposed 
have  at  last  been  made  to  feel  and  own  that  He  who 
claimed  to  be  the  Author  of  our  religion  was  indeed 
a  King  whom  it  was  vain  for  man  to  resist.  The 
apostate  emperor  Julian  acknowledged  this.  Having 
done  everything  he  coidd  do  to  extirpate  the  reli- 
gion of  Jesus,  calling  him,  in  derision,  the  Galilean 
God;  overcome  at  last,  he  died,  exclaiming,  "O 
Galilean,  thou  hast  prevailed!"  The  hand  of  the 
King  had  found  him  out,  as  it  has  found  out  all  who 
have  refused  submission  to  his  rule.  All  who  have 
laid  profane  hands  upon  the  ark  of  the  Lord,  have 


PSALM    XXI.  259 

been  smitten  to  the  earth — all  who  have  attempted 
to  falsify  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  have  encoun- 
tered balls  of  fire  bursting  forth  from  Mount  Zion  to 
consume  them. 

Verse  9.  Tliou  shalt  make  them  as  a  fiery  oven  In  the  time  of 
thine  ancjer;  the  Lord  shall  swallow  them  up  in  his  wrath, 
and  the  fire  shall  devour  them. 

In  predicting  that  Messiah  would  make  his  ene- 
mies and  haters  like  a  fiery  oven  in  the  day  of  his 
wrath,  the  prophet  only  predicts  what  necessarily 
results  from  opposition  to  truth  and  righteousness. 
Opposition  to  Divine  truth  involves  a  state  of  things 
inherently  self-destructive,  a  state  of  moral  feeling 
essentially  disastrous  in  its  operations.  Unholy  pas- 
sions are  fuel  that  make  an  oven  indeed  of  the  soul. 
And  how  fiercely  their  fires  burn,  when  left  to  act 
unrestrained,  we  have  fearful  illustration  in  the  his- 
tory both  of  individuals  and  of  nations.  France  once 
said,  We  will  not  have  this  man  to  rule  over  us;  and 
with  what  intensity  of  heat  did  the  nation  soon 
burn !  every  opposer  being  a  burning  brand  in  him- 
self, and  also  a  fire  to  consume  others.  The  con- 
flagration spread  till  the  whole  nation  became,  as  it 
were,  a  burning  oven,  the  wild  and  malevolent  pas- 
sions of  the  individual  constituting  the  fuel  that 
gave  the  oven  its  all-consuming  heat.  The  fire  de- 
voured them;  but  it  was  the  fire  of  their  own  kin- 
dling. When  the  time  comes  for  God  to  rid  the 
earth  of  an  individual,  or  of  a  nation,  he  has  no  need 
to  rain  down  fire  upon  them  from  heaven.  He  has 
only  to  leave  them  to  themselves,  when  the  fire  of 
their  own  unholy  passions  will  consume  them.  And 
God  can  be  said  to  consume  his  enemies,  only  as  he 
can  be  said  to  do  what  he  does  not  interfere  to  pre-- 


260  LECTURES  ON  THE  TSALMS. 

vent.  Hence  he  is  said  to  send  strong  delusions  upon 
those  whom  he  does  not  withhold  by  his  preventing 
grace  from  falling  into  such  delusions.  2Thess.  ii.  11. 
This,  in  the  general  orderings  of  his  providence, 
seems  to  be  the  only  way  in  which  the  wrath 
of  God  is  manifested  in  the  destruction  of  his  ene- 
mies. 

Verse  10.     Their  fruit  shalt  thou  destroy  from  the  earth,  and 
their  seed  from  among  the  children  of  men. 

Fruit  and  seed  are  words  of  the  same  signification 
here;  both  words  meaning  children,  offspring.  It  is 
impossible  for  any  man  to  sin,  without  involving 
those  connected  with  him  in  the  evil  consequences  of 
his  sin.  The  curse  that  falls  upon  the  guilty  parent 
extends  more  or  less  of  its  bane  to  his  children. 
The  lightning  cannot  smite  the  trunk,  and  leave  the 
branch  unscathed.  The  same  deluge  that  swept 
away  the  antediluvians,  swept  away  their  children 
also;  even  as  the  same  ark  that  saved  Noah,  saved 
his  children  too.  This  general  identification  of  the 
child's  destiny  with  that  of  the  parent,  cannot  be 
destroyed  without  destroying  the  parental  relation, 
and  all  the  blessings  growing  out  of  it.  This  identi- 
fication of  his  child's  destiny  with  his  own,  should  be 
the  parent's  strongest  earthly  stimulant  to  virtue.  If, 
however,  love  for  his  off'spring  does  not  deter  a  man 
from  sin,  the  course  of  Divine  Providence  is  not 
thereby  interrupted.  Children  are  made  partakers 
of  their  parents'  sins,  and,  making  them  their  own 
by  adoption,  follow  their  parents  to  a  disgraceful  end. 
Brief  indeed  is  the  history  of  those  families  in  which 
irreligion  has  prevailed.  Some  secret  curse  seems  to 
cleave  to  such  families,  silently  wasting  them,  until 
not  a  member  remains  to  tell  who  they  were,  or  what 


PSALM  xxr.  261 

were  their  names.  We  search  society  nearly  in  vain 
for  the  descendants  of  those  who  have  at  any  time 
made  themselves  conspicuous  as  the  enemies  of  the 
cross  of  Christ.  Who  now  inherit  the  names  of  Vol- 
taire, Rousseau,  Hume,  Paine,  or  Aaron  Burr^ 

Verses  11,  12.  For  they  intended  evil  against  thee:  they 
imagined  a  mischievous  device,  which  they  are  not  able  to 
perform:  therefore  shalt  thou  make  them  turn  their  back, 
when  thou  shalt  make  ready  thine  arrows  upon  thy  strings 
against  the  face  of  them. 

Even  for  inte^iding  an  evil,  and  imagining  a  mis- 
chief which  they  are  not  able  to  perform,  God  brings 
men  into  judgment.  He  deals  with  men  according 
to  the  purposes  of  their  hearts,  and  not  according  to 
their  actual  performances.  Hence  the  severity  of  his 
dealings  with  those  who  have  opposed  the  kingdom 
of  his  Son.  He  has  meted  out  punishment  to  them 
according  to  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  their  hearts. 
The  sharp  arrows  of  his  providence  have  pierced  them 
as  deeply  as  if  they  had  actually  accomplished  what 
they  intended.  Each  particular  providence  has  its 
own  mission,  and  is  as  unerring  and  resistless  in  its 
course,  as  the  arrow  directed  by  Omniscience  and  sent 
home  to  its  mark  by  Omnipotence. 

"Therefore  shalt  thou  make  them  turn  their  back, 
when  thou  shalt  make  ready  thine  arrows  upon  thy 
strings  against  the  face  of  them."  When  Messiah 
meets  his  enemies  through  the  orderings  of  his  pro- 
vidence, he  not  only  makes  them  turn  their  backs  in 
flight,  but  his  arrows  often  transfix  them  fleeing. 
They  who  will  not  be  saved  by  his  mercy,  must 
perish  under  the  blows  of  his  justice.  "He  that 
believeth  on  the  Son,  hath  everlasting  life:  and  he 
that  believeth  not  the  Son,  shall  not  see  life;  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  John  iii.  36. 


262  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Verse  13.     Be  thou  exalted,  Lord,  in  thine  own  strength;  so 
will  we  sing  and  praise  thy  power. 

As  the  people  began  this  psalm  in  a  direct  address 
to  the  Lord,  they  close  it  in  the  same  way,  saying, 
"Be  thou  exalted,  Lord,  in  thine  own  strength." 
God  is  exalted  in  his  own  strength,  when  he  uses  his 
power  to  the  punishment  of  wickedness  and  vice,  and 
the  maintenance  of  true  religion  and  virtue.  It  is 
God  in  Christ  whom  we  may  especially  desire  to  see 
exalted;  the  God  who  so  loved  the  world  that  he 
gave  his  only  begotten  Son  to  die  for  its  redemption ; 
the  God  who  can  be  just  to  his  law,  and  yet  justify 
the  believer  in  Jesus — be  infinitely  just,  and  at  the 
same  time  infinitely  merciful.  "  So  will  we  sing  and 
praise  thy  power:"  nowhere  else  is  the  Divine  power 
to  save  so  seen  as  it  is  seen  in  Christ.  He  is  empha- 
tically the  power  of  God ;  and  in  him,  moved  to  it  by 
the  Divine  Spirit,  the  people  rejoiced — rejoiced  that 
the  Lord  had  laid  help  upon  One  who  is  mighty  to 
save  unto  the  uttermost  all  that  would  come  to  God 
through  him.  They  rejoiced  in  his  victories,  and 
longed  for  the  time  when  not  an  enemy  would  remain 
to  be  subdued.  AVe  should  long,  and  pray,  and  labour 
for  the  same.  It  is  only  as  we  identify  ourselves  with 
Christ  in  his  spirit,  aims,  and  labours,  that  we  can 
be  saved.  If  we  refuse  to  be  ruled  by  the  sceptre  of 
his  love,  we  must  be  broken  by  the  rod  of  his  wrath. 
If  he  dwell  not  in  our  souls,  changing  them  into  his 
own  image,  they  must  become  the  everlasting  abode 
of  evil  passions,  that  cannot  but  make  them  a  fiery 
oven,  an  ever-glowing  furnace  of  self-generating  wo ! 
How  earnestly,  then,  should  we  all  pray,  "  Thy  king- 
dom come" — thy  kingdom  of  righteousness,  purity, 
and  bliss,  come  into  every  heart!     Even  so  come, 


PSALM   XXII. 


Lord  Jesus:   "For  thine  is   the  kingdom,  and  the 
power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever  and  ever.   Amen." 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXII.   1—13. 

Verse  1.  My  God,  my  God,  wliy  tast  tliou  forsaken  me?  why 
art  thou  so  far  from  helping  me,  and  from  the  words  of  my 
roaring? 

The  first  of  these  words  found  utterance  in  the  most 
agonized  shriek  that  ever  burst  from  human  Hps. 
They  are  the  "Eli, Eli,  lama  sabachthani,"  with  which 
the  Son  of  God  bowed  his  head  and  gave  up  the 
ghost.  It  was  at  the  close  of  the  three  hours  of 
supernatural  darkness  that  he  uttered  them.  During 
those  three  hours  the  darkness  upon  his  soul  was 
denser  than  even  that  which  overspread  the  earth. 
He  was  then,  by  the  grace  of  God,  tasting  death  for 
every  man,  and  felt  its  bitterness  as  it  had  never 
been  felt  before.  He  was  enduring  the  wrath  of 
God  as  the  Surety  and  substitute  of  guilty  man. 
The  Lord  had  laid  upon  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all. 
The  cup  of  a  world's  transgressions  was  being  pressed 
to  his  lips,  and  he  was  drinking  it  off  to  its  dregs. 
The  bitterest  ingredient  however  in  his  cup  of  trem- 
bling, was  the  loss  of  his  Father's  sensible  presence. 
Because  of  this,  amazement  seems  to  have  seized 
upon  his  spirit.  His  Father  seems  to  have  forsaken 
him — seems  to  have  given  him  up  to  contend  alone 
with  the  powers  of  evil;  and  yet  he  can  with  diffi- 
culty bring  himself  to  believe  that  his  Father  has 
done  so  in  reality.     That  he  hopes  against  hope,  and 


264  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

still  believes  even  in  his  despair,  is  indicated  in  the 
emphatic  why  with  which  he  addresses  his  Father — 
"why  hast  thou  forsaken  me"? — why  art  thou  so  far 
from  helping  me'? — why  art  thou  so  far  from  the 
words  of  my  roaring  f  We  see  a  still  confiding  faith 
shining  through  this  reiterated  wAj/,  and  shining  still 
more  clearly  through  the  reiterated  "my  God,  my 
God."  If  not  to  his  feelings,  yet  to  his  faith,  the 
Father  Almighty  is  still  his  God.  He  will  not  judge 
the  Lord  by  feeble  sense,  but  still  trust  him  for  his 
grace.  What  a  lesson  may  the  believer  learn  from 
Christ  in  this  verse — still  trusting  in  God  under  the 
darkest  hidings  of  his  countenance,  and  the  loss  of 
every  sensible  evidence  of  his  favour.  His  example 
teaches  us  that  we  must  indeed  "walk  by  faith,  and 
not  by  sight."  2  Cor.  v.  7.  There  may  be  mystery  in 
many  of  the  Divine  dealings  with  us ;  but  to  the  be- 
liever it  is  all  a  mystery  of  love,  for  he  knows  that 
God  is  thereby  working  out  for  him  a  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory.  It  was  so  with 
Christ ;  it  will  be  so  with  all  who  trust  in  God  as 
he  trusted. 

Verse  2.     O  my  God,  I  cry  in  the  day-time,  but  thou  hearcst 
not;  and  in  the  night-season,  and  am  not  silent. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  our  Lord  here  refers  to 
the  many  prayers  which  he  had  offered  up  long  before, 
to  be  sustained  in  the  hour  of  his  final  conflict  with 
the  powers  of  darkness.  He  offered  up  "  prayers  and 
supplications,  with  strong  crying  and  tears."  He 
prayed  till  his  sweat  became,  as  it  were,  great  drops 
of  blood.  He  also  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to 
God.  There  was  no  one  duty  of  the  believer  that  he 
practised  more  incessantly  than  he  practised  prayer. 
It  was  his  vital  breath.     He  knew,  too,  that  God  is 


PSALM   XXII.  265 

more  ready  to  hear  than  we  are  to  pray.  And  yet 
he  here  complains  that  his  prayers  seem  to  have 
been  offered  in  vain.  The  fact  amazes  him.  The 
evil  day  has  come  upon  him,  and  the  strength  for 
which  he  had  so  long  and  earnestly  prayed  to  sustain 
him  in  that  day,  is  for  some  reason  withheld.  How 
painfully  this  sometimes  accords  with  the  experience 
of  believers  in  Jesus.  For  years,  it  may  be,  they 
have  been  praying  for  grace  to  sustain  them  under 
the  trials  of  some  day  in  the  future.  The  day  of 
trial  comes,  but  not  the  sustaining  strength — at  least, 
to  the  degree  expected.  Immediately  the  thought 
arises  in  the  mind,  that  God  cannot  be  so  ready  to 
hear  prayer  as  he  is  represented  to  be,  and  the  dis- 
tressed believer  is  tempted  to  give  over  praying. 
The  example  of  the  Saviour  should  rebuke  such 
despondency.  He  did  not  cease  to  cry  unto  God 
because  his  prayers  were  not  answered  at  the  time 
he  had  hoped  they  would  have  been.  He  still 
prayed  without  ceasing,  leaving  it  to  his  Father  to 
determine  the  times  and  the  seasons  when  his  peti- 
tions should  be  granted. 

Verse  3.     But  thou  art  holy,  0  thou  that  inhabitest  the  praises 
of  Israel. 

However  intense  his  sufferings  may  be,  the  Saviour 
knows  that  there  can  be  no  taint  of  wrong  in  them, 
because  He  who  leaves  him  to  endure  them,  is  holy, 
and  incapable  of  the  least  injustice.  Though  clouds 
and  darkness  are  round  about  him,  "righteousness 
and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  his  throne." 
Psalm  xcvii.  2.  However  little  he  may  be  able  to 
explain  the  Divine  dealings  with  him,  the  believer 
can  never  conceive  of  them,  except  as  being  dictated 
by  infinite  love  and  infinite  wisdom.  Hence  the 
23 


266  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

sentiment  of  his  heart,  even  when  crushed  as  the 
Saviour's  was,  is  evermore  the  same,  "But  thou  art 
holy,  O  thou  that  inhabitest  the  praises  of  Israel." 
"It  is  the  Lord,  let  him  do  what  seemeth  him 
good."  1  Sam.  iii.  18.  "Not  my  will,  O  Father,  but 
thine  be  done."  Faith,  however  much  it  may  suffer, 
would  not,  for  a  universe  of  worlds,  have  anything 
otherwise  than  just  as  God  hath  ordered  it.  The 
believing  soul  shudders  at  the  thought  of  taking  its 
destiny  into  its  own  hands. 

Verses  4,  5.  Our  fathers  trusted  in  tliee;  they  trusted,  and 
thou  didst  deliver  them.  They  cried  unto  thee,  and  were 
delivered :  they  trusted  in  thee,  and  were  not  confounded. 

Messiah  here  contrasts  his  condition  with  that  of 
those  who  had  called  upon  God  in  other  days.  To 
them  he  had  always  proved  himself  a  refuge  and 
strength,  a  very  present  help  in  trouble.  They  had 
never  trusted  without  being  delivered.  No  small 
part  of  the  history  of  the  Divine  dealings  with  the 
patriarchs  and  Israel  of  old,  was  a  history  of  deliver- 
ances wrought  out  for  them  in  answer  to  the  prayer 
of  faith.  "We  have  heard  with  our  ears,  O  God, 
our  fathers  have  told  us,  what  thou  didst  in  their 
days,  in  the  times  of  old."  Psalm  xliv.  1.  This  story 
of  the  fathers  was,  that  God  had  never  failed  them 
when  they  called  upon  him.  And  yet  the  Sufferer 
upon  the  cross  seems  to  have  called  upon  God  for 
help  in  vain.  His  prayers  for  deliverance  from  his 
enemies  appear  to  have  been  unanswered.  Though 
faith  tells  him  that  God  cannot  forsake  any  who  trust 
in  him,  nevertheless,  to  sight  and  sense,  to  appear- 
ance and  feeling,  God  has  forsaken  him !  How  often 
is  the  believer  called  to  endure  this  conflict  between 
faith  and  feeling!     The  history  of  God's  dealings 


rsALM  XXII.  267 

with  others,  and  also  his  own  past  personal  experi- 
ence, forbid  the  thought  that  our  God  is  not  a 
prayer-hearing  God.  It  is  a  thought  that  pierces 
the  heart  like  a  sword,  and  yet  a  thought  of  which 
the  believer  cannot  always  divest  himself.  He  strug- 
gles against  it,  prays  against  it;  but,  at  times,  the 
conflict  is  so  severe  that  he  can  only  exclaim  in  tears, 
"Lord,  I  believe;  help  thou  mine  unbelief."  "Save, 
Lord,  I  perish!" 

Verse  6.     But  I  am  a  worm,  and  no  man;  a  reproacli  of  men, 
and  despised  of  the  people. 

Messiah  here  speaks  of  himself  as  he  appeared  to 
others,  and  to  the  eye  of  sense.  He  calls  himself  a 
worm,  because  of  the  even  loathing  contempt  with 
which  he  was  treated.  He  was  in  a  condition  where 
every  one,  even  the  lowest,  could  and  did  trample 
him  under  foot.  He  was  no  longer  treated  as  if  he 
were  a  man.  His  enemies  had  denied  him  all  the 
rights  and  privileges  attaching  to  him  as  a  human 
being.  He  was  a  reproach  of  men,  and  despised  of 
the  people.  Deceiver,  wine-bibber,  madman,  blas- 
phemer, devil — were  the  names  with  which  he  was 
branded.  It  is  the  lot  of  most  men,  in  their  fall,  still 
to  retain  some  friends.  It  was  otherwise  with  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.  He  was  forsaken  of  all  men — high  and 
low,  rich  and  poor,  bond  and  free.  He  was  sold  by 
one  of  his  own  disciples  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the 
then  price  of  a  slave,  (Exod.  xxi.  32,)  and  the  release 
of  a  robber  and  murderer  demanded  as  a  boon  prefer- 
able to  his  release.  Matt,  xxvii.  21.  He  was  insulted 
with  a  mock  trial,  condemned  to  death  by  a  judge, 
acknowledging  his  innocence  in  the  same  breath, 
scourged,  buffeted,  spit  upon,  and  nailed  to  a  cross, 
to  die  between  two  thieves.     Under  such  treatment, 


268  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

he  could  well  say  of  himself,  "  I  am  a  worm,  and  no 
man ;  a  reproach  of  men,  and  despised  of  the  people." 
The  Hebrew  word  means  a  scarlet  worm — so  Christ's 
whole  body  was  scarlet,  from  the  lashings  of  the 
scourge,  and  the  blood  from  his  nail-pierced  hands 
and  feet,  and  thorn-perforated  brows.  He  was  indeed 
"  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief"  None 
besides  have  ever  been  able  to  say  with  the  emphasis 
which  he  could  say  it,  "  Behold,  and  see,  if  there  be 
any  sorrow  like  unto  my  sorrow."  If  his  cross  had 
been  reared  in  the  centre  of  hell,  it  could  hardly  have 
been  surrounded  with  fiercer,  more  infuriate,  and 
more  implacable  spirits,  than  those  surrounding  it  on 
Calvary.  Indeed,  spirits  from  hell  did  mingle  in  the 
scene. 

Verse  7.     All  they  that  see  me  laugh  me  to  scorn :  they  shoot 
out  the  lip,  they  shake  the  head,  saying. 

It  is  one  of  the  redeeming  traits  of  the  worst 
humanity,  that  it  seldom  exults  over  the  dying  ago- 
nies of  its  victim.  Men  will  pursue  an  enemy  with 
uncompromising  hostility,  until  they  get  him  into 
their  power;  but  when  he  at  length  stands  before 
them,  pale,  haggard,  helpless,  and  dying,  or  about  to 
die,  the  hardest  heart  relents,  and  eyes  unused  to 
weeping,  fill  with  sympathizing  tears.  The  soldier 
pities  even  the  traitor,  when  he  sees  him  kneeling  on 
his  cofiin.  Not  one  in  a  thousand  can  see  his  dead- 
liest enemy  die,  without  some  touches  of  sympathiz- 
ing sorrow.  It  was  otherwise,  however,  with  the 
enemies  of  the  Son  of  God.  Not  one  of  all  those 
witnessing  his  dying  agonies,  manifested  the  least 
feeling  of  sympathy  for  him.  All  they  that  saw  him, 
laughed  him  to  scorn;  made  his  sufferings  the  subject 
of  abusive  merriment.     They  shot  out  the  lip,  to 


PSALM  XXII.  269 

denote  their  contempt  for  him,  and  shook  the  head 
at  him,  to  give  him  to  understand  that  he  need  not 
look  to  them  for  sympathy;  for,  in  their  judgment, 
he  was  suffering  only  what  he  deserved,  and  what 
they  rejoiced  to  see.  The  words  of  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing verse  were  inspired  by  the  Divine  Spirit, 
more  than  a  thousand  years  before  they  were  uttered 
on  Calvary. 

Verse  8.     He  trusted  on  the  Lord,  that  lie  wonld  deliver  him: 
let  him  deliver  him,  seeing  he  delighteth  in  him. 

A  thousand  and  seventy-seven  years  had  these 
words  been  on  record  as  words  of  prophecy  in  the 
Old  Testament,  before  it  was  recorded  as  history  in 
the  New  Testament:  "And  they  that  passed  by 
reviled  him,  wagging  their  heads,  and  saying.  Thou 
that  destroyest  the  temple,  and  buildest  it  in  three 
days,  save  thyself  If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  come 
down  from  the  cross.  Likewise  also  the  chief  priests, 
mocking  him,  with  the  scribes  and  elders,  said.  He 
saved  others,  himself  he  cannot  save.  If  he  be  the 
King  of  Israel,  let  him  now  come  down  from  the 
cross,  and  we  will  believe  him.  He  trusted  in  God  ; 
let  him  deliver  him  now,  if  he  will  have  him:  for  he 
said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God.  The  thieves  also,  which 
were  crucified  with  him,  cast  the  same  in  his  teeth." 
Matt,  xxvii.  39-44.  Here  is  the  keenest  shaft  with 
which  his  enemies  have  yet  pierced  the  soul  of  the 
Suff"erer  upon  the  cross — they  ridicule  his  trust  in 
God.  With  fiendish  irony  they  bid  him  seek  deliver- 
ance from  the  God  whom  they  believe  to  have  for- 
saken him.  "Trust  in  the  Lord,"  had  been  the 
motto  of  his  life:  "Let  him  act  upon  his  motto  no%\^^ 
is  the  taunt  of  his  tormentors.  "  Faith  bends  omni- 
potence to  its  will,  and  calls  it  to  its  relief,"  had  been 
23* 


270  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  import  of  his  teachings.  His  enemies,  in  deri- 
sion, now  bid  him  rcahze  the  truth  of  his  teachings 
in  his  own  case,  by  coming  down  from  the  cross,  and 
so  prove  himself  to  be  what  He  had  often  claimed  to 
be,  the  Son  of  God.  If  God  delighteth  in  him,  as 
he  hath  often  said  he  does,  let  him  manifest  it  by 
coming  to  his  rescue  now !  How  keenly  must  this 
diabolic  irony  have  pierced  the  soul  of  the  Sufferer! 
Yet  he  opened  not  his  mouth  in  reply,  but  only  to 
say,  "Father,  forgive  them!"  How  different  from 
many  of  us,  who  resent  the  slightest  insult  with  a 
blow,  or,  it  may  be,  with  blood !  How  fortunate  for 
the  world,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  not  what,  in 
modern  phrase,  is  called  a  gentleman! — one  who 
thinks  that  blood  is  the  only  thing  that  can  extract 
the  sting  of  reproach.  "He  saved  others,  himself  he 
cannot  save."  His  enemies  meant  these  words  as  a 
sarcasm.  They  are  literally  true.  He  could  not  save 
himself,  and  others  too.  No ;  he  must  die,  that  man 
might  live.  If  he  had  come  down  from  the  cross, 
human  redemption  would  have  been  frustrated  for 
ever.  He  knew  that  he  was  dying  for  the  sins  of  the 
world;  for  the  sins  of  the  very  men  who  were  mur- 
dering him.  He  therefore  made  no  appeal  to  Omni- 
potence to  save  him,  neither  any  drafts  upon  his  own 
Divine  nature  to  save  himself  Once  only,  during  the 
six  hours  that  he  is  supposed  to  have  hung  upon  the 
cross,  did  he  enact  the  God.  When  one  of  the  dying 
thieves,  ceasing  to  revile,  said  to  him,  "Lord,  remem- 
ber me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom,"  his 
answer  was  such  as  became  him,  as  the  Lord  and 
Prince  of  life — "  Verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  Avith  me  in  paradise."  Luke  xxiii.  42,  43. 
This  said,  however,  this  one  word  of  the  God,  hence- 


PSALM   XXII.  271 

forth,  to  the  end  of  the  drama,  we  see  only  the  suf- 
fering man.  Ask  Jesus  to  save  others,  and  he  would 
in  an  instant  make  a  draft  upon  his  Divine  nature. 
Ask  him,  however,  to  save  himself  from  sufferings 
and  death,  and  his  only  answer  would  be,  "  The  cup 
which  my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink 
if?"  John  xviii.  11.  However  overwhelming  the 
Saviour's  sense  of  desertion  may  be,  he  will  not 
believe  that  his  Father  has  finally  forsaken  him. 
Hence  the  torture  of  the  suggestion,  that  his  Father 
had  done  so.  A  suggestion  of  this  sort,  made  by  his 
enemies,  caused  David  to  weep  day  and  night,  and 
was  as  a  sword  in  his  bones.  Ps.  xlii.  No  other 
thought  so  rends  the  soul  of  the  believer,  as  the 
thought  that  God  ever  has,  or  ever  can,  finally  fail 
to  deliver  one  who  has  fled  to  him  for  refuge.  This, 
however,  is  the  fearful  thought  with  which  his  per- 
secutors endeavour  to  overwhelm  the  Sufferer  on  the 
cross.  It  is  also  the  fearful  thought  with  which,  in 
seasons  of  spiritual  desertion,  the  adversary  endea- 
vours to  overwhelm  the  believer  in  Jesus.  Jesus 
resisted  the  blasphemous  thought,  even  unto  death — 
his  followers  should  resist  it  in  the  same  way. 

Verses  9,  10.  But  thou  art  he  that  took  me  out  of  the  womh: 
thou  didst  make  me  hope  [didst  keep  me  in  safety]  when  I 
was  upon  my  mother's  breasts.  I  was  cast  upon  thee  from 
the  womb :  thou  art  my  God  from  my  mother's  belly. 

Here  the  Sufferer  endeavours  to  stay  his  fainting 
soul  by  recalling  the  past  mercies  of  his  Father.  He 
recalls  the  wonderful  and  divine  manner  in  which  he 
was  brought  into  the  world,  and  the  extraordinary 
care  his  Father  and  the  holy  angels  took  of  him 
while  he  was  yet  a  child.  All  his  life  through,  until 
now,  his  Father  had  shown  himself  to  be  kis  God, 


272  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

and  he  cannot  but  believe  that  the  same  relation  of 
Father  and  Son,  Parent  and  Child,  still  subsists.  He 
cannot  believe  that  his  Father  would  kindle  such 
lively  hope  by  his  dealings  with  him  when  he  was  a 
child,  only  to  extinguish  it  in  everlasting  night  when 
he  came  to  be  a  man.  His  doing  so  would  seem  like 
a  wanton  spoiling  of  the  work  of  his  own  hands.  To 
such  resource  for  comfort  have  Messiah's  sufferings 
driven  him.  The  present  is  dark,  cheerless,  almost 
hopeless,  and  he  is  driven  back  to  the  mercies  of  the 
past,  to  persuade  himself  that  God  cannot  have 
finally  forsaken  him;  that,  having  formerly  cared  for 
him  with  all  the  tenderness  with  which  a  mother 
cares  for  the  child  borne  in  her  arms,  and  drawing 
its  nourishment  from  her  breasts,  he  cannot  have 
finally  deserted  him  now;  and  that  the  mystery  of 
his  sufferings  will  in  time  be  removed.  Thus,  in 
spite  of  feeling,  in  spite  of  appearances,  he  will 
believe  that  there  will  be  an  end  to  the  awful  night 
now  filling  him,  and  surrounding  him.  The  sequel 
proves  that  he  did  not  believe  in  vain.  And  how 
often  is  the  believer  in  Jesus  driven  to  this  same 
resource  for  comfort — driven  back  to  the  mercies  of 
the  past,  whence  to  draw  strength  to  sustain  him 
under  the  darkness  of  the  present.  He  hopes  that 
his  repentance  is  sincere,  and  that  he  has  laboured, 
so  far  as  human  frailty  allowed,  to  approve  liis  every 
act  and  thought  to  Him  who  searches  the  heart.  Still 
he  is  under  a  cloud;  there  is  no  light  within  him, 
none  around  him,  and  none  before  him.  The  past, 
however,  is  bright  with  the  mercies  of  his  God  to 
him ;  and  that  fact  inspires  the  cheering  hope,  that 
in  time  the  future  will  be  so  too.  Faith  still  whis- 
pers to  the  soul  in  the  lowest  depths,  "Hope  thou 


rsALM  XXII.  273 

still  in  God;  for  thou  slialt  yet  praise  him  for  the 

help  of  his  countenance," 

Verse  11.     Be  not  far  from  me;  for  trouble  is  near;  for  tliere  is 
none  to  help. 

"  For  trouble  is  near!"  near,  indeed;  so  near  as  to 
touch  to  agony  every  sensibility  of  soul  and  body. 
His  soul,  as  he  tells  us  in  another  place,  "is  exceed- 
ing sorrowful,  even  unto  death."  The  powers  of 
darkness  are  piercing  it  with  all  their  fiery  darts. 
Their  infernal  suggestions  beat  in  upon  it  like  a 
storm  of  fire;  and  no  other  ever  saw  the  turpitude  of 
their  suggestions  as  he  saw  it,  or  felt  their  turpitude 
as  he  felt  it.  Unspottedly  holy  as  he  was,  they 
caused  him  an  anguish  of  spirit  such  as  no  one  else 
has  ever  experienced.  The  purer  the  mind,  the 
more  susceptible  it  is  of  being  pained  by  an  evil 
suggestion.  How  severely,  then,  must  the  holy  Jesus 
have  sufi'ered  from  the  temptations  with  which 
wicked  spirits  plied  him.  And  yet,  horrid  as  their 
temptations  and  suggestions  were,  they  found  an 
echo  in  the  conduct  of  the  human  enemies  surround- 
ing him.  What  an  echo  of  infernal  malice  have  we 
exhibited  to  us  in  the  protruding  lip,  the  wagging 
head,  the  pointing  finger,  the  defiant  stare,  and 
taunting  tongue !  "  For  there  is  none  to  help !" — no, 
the  Saviour  is  alone  in  the  earth.  He  who  fed  the 
hungry,  healed  the  sick,  raised  the  dead,  cast  out 
devils,  and  took  little  children  in  his  arms  and 
blessed  them,  has  none  to  help.  The  Helper  of  all 
who  ever  applied  to  HiiJi  for  help,  he  is  now  left  to 
endure  the  wrath  of  God,  of  men,  and  of  devils, 
alone.  Does  his  faith  sustain  him'?  It  does.  Al- 
though he  knew  that,  for  man's  sake,  the  wrath  of 
God  is  the  great  element  of  his  trouble,  still  he  trusts 


274  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

in  him,  praying,  "Be  not  far  from  me."  What  an 
ilkistration  of  the  words,  "  Though  he  slay  me,  yet 
will  I  trust  in  him."  Job  xiii.  15.  His  only  strength 
to  bear  up  under  the  trouble  upon  him,  is  faith  in 
God.  He  demeans  himself  here  not  at  all  as  a 
Divine  being,  able  to  deliver  himself  and  disperse  his 
enemies  in  an  instant;  but  only  as  a  human  being, 
sustained  by  faith  in  the  power  and  grace  of  God  to 
enable  him  to  be  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  cross.  Philip,  ii.  8. 

Verse  13.      Many  bulls  have   compassed  me:    strong  bulls  of 
Bashan  have  beset  me  round. 

In  these  words  Messiah  describes  his  enemies 
as  having  in  their  treatment  of  him  laid  aside  the 
character  of  human  beings,  and  assumed  that  of 
brutes.  He  compares  them  to  bulls,  strong  bulls 
of  Bashan,  the  worst  of  their  kind — proud,  sullen, 
fierce,  and  unrelenting.  So  fierce  and  fearless  are 
these  animals,  that  they  will  at  times  engage  in  sin- 
gle combat  against  the  lion  himself,  and  they  are  also 
remarkable  for  uniting  in  immense  numbers  against 
a  common  enemy.  "  Imagine  you  behold,"  says  the 
author  of  Christ  on  the  Cross,  "a  fellow  creature 
closely  pursued ;  not  only  one  of  these  enraged  ani- 
mals, but  a  whole  herd  fall  upon  him ;  they  trample 
him  under  foot;  they  surround  him  on  every  side, 
and  low  against  him;  they  strike  him  with  their 
horns ;  they  toss  him  to  and  fro ;  they  rush  upon  him 
with  one  accord!  AVhat  horror,  what  fearfulness, 
what  helplessness,  are  pictured  in  this  condition! 
Just  so  was  it  now  with  our  Lord  upon  the  cross." 
He  was  surrounded  and  set  upon  by  enemies,  visible 
and  invisible,  as  fierce  and  exasperated  as  the  brutes 
here  named,  and  as  eager  to  have  a  thrust  at  him. 


PSALM  XXII.  275 

Verse  13.     They  gaped  upon  me  witli  their  mouths,  as  a  raven- 
ing and  a  roaring  lion. 

As  the  lion  springs  upon  his  prey,  with  open 
mouth  and  a  roar,  so  do  the  enemies  of  Christ,  now 
that  they  have  him  in  their  power,  gnash  their  teeth 
at  him,  and  give  utterance  to  the  loudest  expressions 
of  delight.  The  comparison  depicts  with  fearful 
force  the  pleasure  that  the  Jews  experienced  in  wit- 
nessing the  death  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  As  a 
ravening  lion  they  had  watched  and  waylaid  him, 
paid  money  to  get  him  into  their  hands,  clamoured 
for  his  blood  when  Pilate  would  have  released  him, 
and  feasted  their  eyes  upon  it  when  they  saw  it  flow- 
ing from  his  veins. 

So  far,  in  our  psalm,  we  have  had  described  to  us 
the  mental  sufferings  of  Christ  on  the  cross :  his  phy- 
sical sufferings,  and  his  final  triumph,  are  set  forth  in 
the  portion  of  the  psalm  yet  to  be  explained.  His 
mental  sufferings  were  caused  by  the  withdrawal  of 
his  Father's  sustaining  presence,  and  the  reproaches 
of  his  enemies.  The  two  united,  pressed  his  spirit 
with  a  weight  of  wo  such  as  none  besides  have  ever 
experienced.  Sustained  by  his  Father,  as  he  had 
always  hitherto  been,  he  no  doubt  could  have  en- 
dured the  reproaches  of  men  without  complaint;  but 
when  his  Father  withdraws  his  sustaining  presence, 
there  bursts  from  his  riven  heart,  the  agonized  cry, 
"My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  mef 
Why  has  the  Father  Almighty  forsaken  his  only 
begotten  Son^  For  your  sake,  and  mine,  beloved 
reader.  For  no  sin  of  his  Son,  but  for  our  sins,  the 
Father  forsook  him.  It  was  as  our  surety  and  sub- 
stitute that  Messiah  felt  in  his  soul  the  wrath  of  God 
against  sin.      He  had  taken  the   sinner's  place,  to 


276  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

endure  the  wrath  of  God  due  to  the  sinner's  sin ;  and 
the  Father  Almighty  could  not  spare  his  Son,  and 
save  the  sinner.   One  or  the  other  must  die ;  and  God 
so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  Son.     He  for- 
sook his  Son,  that  he  might  not  forsake  us.     Sinner, 
think  of  this  love  of  God  for  you  and  me.     How  can 
you  resist  iti     Again,  the  Father  Almighty  forsook 
his  Son,  that  the  Son's  victory  over  death  and  hell 
might  be  altogether  his  own   victory — his  own  as 
man,  sustained  by  simple  faith  in  God.     It  was  the 
Father's  purpose  to  discomfit  Satan  by  the  ver^  same 
nature  over  which  he  had  triumphed  in  Eden.     Ac- 
cordingly a  holy  human  7iature  sustained  hy  faith  in 
God,  is  the  Saviour's  only  protection  and  defence  in 
the  final  conflict.     God  the  Father  has  left  him,  God 
the  Spirit  has  left  him,  and  he  has  also  renounced  all 
reliance  on  his  own  God-like  power  to  aid  him,  so 
that  he  stands  before  his  enemies,  having,  as  his  only 
weapon  of  defence,  what  Adam  had  in  Eden,  a  holy 
human  nature,  to  be   sustained  by  simple  trust  in 
God.    A  holy  human  nature,  sustained  by  faith  alone, 
was  the  weapon  with  which  the  First  Adam  should 
have  conquered  Satan:   a  holy  human  nature,  sus- 
tained by  faith  alone,  was  the  weapon  with  which  the 
Second  Adam  did  conquer  Satan.    He  used  no  other 
weapon  to  gain  him  the  victory  on  Calvary,  than 
that  which  Adam  had  in  Eden.     He  withstood  the 
onsets  made  upon  his  holy  will  and  nature,    only 
because  his  faith  in  God  was  steadfast  unto  the  end. 
And  God  left  him  to  himself  to  prove  to  Satan  and 
the  world,  that  a  pure  heart,  sustained  by  an  un- 
wavering faith,  is  a  match,  and  more  than  a  match, 
for  every  assault  that  can  be  made  upon  it.     O  what 
a  thought  is  this  for  the  soul  to  rest  upon!  that  it 


PSALM   XXII.  277 

was  by  the  power  of  faith  alone,  the  faith  of  a  pure 
heart,  that  Jesus  prevailed.  And  this  faith  of  a  pure 
heart  he  promises  to  all  who  ask  it  in  his  name.  He 
purchased  the  Divine  Spirit  for  us,  for  the  express 
purpose  of  making  us  pure  within,  and  inspiring  us 
with  an  invincible  faith  in  the  mercy  of  God.  He 
endured  the  withdrawings  of  the  light  of  his  Father's 
face,  and  the  cheering  influences  of  the  Divine  Spi- 
rit, that  we  might  enjoy  them  for^ever.  O  then,  seek 
those  influences  earnestly,  unceasingly,  and  without 
delay,  and  then,  when  you  come  to  die,  it  will  not  be 
with  the  agonized  cry,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  mel"  but  with  those  other  words, 
"  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  sha- 
dow of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil;  for  thou  art  with 
me;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me." 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXII.  14—31. 

Yerse  14.  I  am  poured  out  like  water,  and  all  my  bones  are  out 
of  joint;  my  heart  is  like  wax,  it  is  melted  in  the  midst  of 
my  bowels. 

The  crucified  One  here  begins  to  describe  his  physi- 
cal, as  blended  with  his  mental,  sufferings.  Neither 
visible,  nor  invisible  enemies  could  overcome  the 
strength  of  his  holy  will:  but  they  could  and  did 
overcome  the  strength  of  his  sensitive  body.  "  I  am 
poured  out  like  water,"  as  incapable  of  rallying  my 
wasted  energies,  as  water  poured  upon  the  ground  is 
of  being  collected  together  again.  It  is  an  image  of 
utter  helplessness.  "  All  my  bones  are  out  of  joint:" 
24 


278  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

when  Belshazzar  saw  the  writing  hand  in  his  ban- 
quetting  hall,  his  countenance  changed,  and  his 
thoughts  were  troubled,  so  that  the  joints  of  his  loins 
were  loosed,  and  his  knees  smote  one  against  an- 
other. Dan.  V.  6.  The  unloosing  of  Belshazzar's 
joints  was  caused  by  sudden  terror;  there  was  no 
actual  dislocation,  but  only  a  relaxing  of  the  tendons 
that  bind  the  joints  together,  and  keep  them  in 
place.  There  was,  however,  perhaps  an  actual  dis- 
location of  the  joints  of  Messiah's  body,  especially  of 
the  wrists,  elbows,  and  shoulders,  the  whole  weight 
of  his  body  being  sustained  mainly  by  the  nails 
piercing  his  hands.  He  no  doubt  felt  as  if  every 
joint  in  his  body  had  been  wrenched  from  its  place, 
the  binding  tendons  holding  the  joint  in  its  socket 
having  at  last  given  way.  Such  was  the  power  of 
the  spasms  with  which  for  six  hours  he  was  visited 
upon  the  cross.  What  fearful  spasms  ensue  from 
wounding  a  single  nerve  in  the  human  body:  and 
what  masses  of  nerves  had  been  wounded  in  the  body 
of  Jesus !  This  dislocation  was,  however,  sometimes 
effected  in  an  instant,  by  the  violent  jerk  caused  by 
dropping  the  elevated  cross,  the  sufferer  already 
nailed  to  it,  into  the  hole  excavated  for  its  lower  end 
in  the  ground.  It  is  not  surprising  that  he  com- 
plains that  his  heart  within  him  has  melted  like  wax. 
A  death-like  faintness  has  come  over  him — he 
swoons,  but  not  wholly  away.  It  is  a  relief  to  one 
suffering  intensely,  to  faint,  and  so  to  lose  for  a  time 
his  sense  of  pain  in  unconsciousness.  But  even  this 
respite  of  suffering  Messiah  does  not  allow  himself. 
He  chose  to  be  a  conscious  sufferer  in  all  that  his 
Father  saw  fit  to  lay  upon  him.  He  who  had  once 
said  of  the  multitude  who  had  been  listening  to  his 


PSALM  XXII.  279 

teacliings,  "  I  will  not  send  them  away  fiisting,  lest 
they  faint  in  the  way,"  (Matt.  xv.  32,)  is  enduring  a 
faintness  of  soul,  an  exhaustion  and  sinking  of  the 
vital  energies,  such  as  none  else  ever  experienced 
and  survived  it.  Imagine  yourself  filled  with  all  the 
sinking  and  death-like  sickness  of  a  fainting  man, 
but  still  retaining  the  liveliest  consciousness  of  your  ■ 
situation,  and  you  may  enter  partially  into  the  feel- 
ings of  the  Saviour  when  he  says,  "My  heart  has 
become  like  wax,  it  is  melted  in  the  midst  of  me." 

Verse  15.  My  strength  is  dried  up  like  a  potsherd;  and  my 
tongue  cleaveth  to  my  jaws;  and  thou  hast  brought  me  into 
the  dust  of  death. 

Here  comes  the  burning  fever  of  the  last  stages  of 
death  upon  the  cross.  The  blood  and  other  humours 
of  the  body  have  been  exhausted  by  his  protracted 
sufferings.  His  body  is  as  destitute  of  vital  moisture 
as  a  potsherd,  as  a  piece  of  clay  that  had  been  baked 
in  the  oven  of  the  potter.  At  every  moment  an  in- 
creasingly dry  and  consuming  heat  is  kindling  in  his 
body  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his 
feet.  Also  a  burning  thirst  supervenes,  "his  tongue 
cleaves  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth."  Of  the  intolcra- 
bleness  of  a  burning  thirst,  none  can  conceive  but 
those  who  have  endured  it.  The  wounded  soldier 
on  the  field  of  battle  can  tell  you  what  it  is.  The 
fainting  traveller  over  the  burning  sands  of  the  de- 
sert, dying  for  want  of  a  cup  of  water,  can  tell  you 
what  it  is.  It  causes  a  suffering  that  no  other  sen- 
sation can  produce — not  even  hunger  itself.  What 
an  agony  of  suffering  was  expressed  in  that  one  word 
of  Christ  on  the  cross,  "I  thirst!"  John  xix.  28. 
"  I  thirst" — it  was  his  only  physical  suffering  on  the 
cross  that  elicited  a  remark  from  him.     And  yet, 


280  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

intolerable  as  his  thirst  was,  when  drink  was  oiFered 
him,  he  declined  it.  And  is  it  possible  that  any 
man's  thirst,  even  that  of  the  maddened  inebriate, 
can  be  as  great  as  his  was  ?  His  sufferings  had  kin- 
dled a  fever  in  his  blood  and  brain,  and  a  consequent 
thirst,  such  as  no  other  man  has  ever  endured. 
Moreover,  Messiah  feels  that  his  sufferings  have 
brought  him  to  the  grave's  mouth,  into  which  his 
body  must  soon  descend.  And  yet  he  acknowledges 
the  hand  of  his  Father  in  everything  that  has  be- 
fallen him.  Hence  his  words,  "  Thou  hast  brought 
me  into  the  dust  of  death."  It  was  his  Father's  good 
pleasure  that  he  should  suffer  as  he  did,  and  he  will 
not  mitigate  his  sufferings  by  so  much  as  a  drop  of 
water.  He  is,  by  his  sufferings,  atoning  for  the  sins 
of  the  world,  and  till  that  be  accomplished,  he  asks 
no  release,  no  mitigation  even,  of  his  sufferings. 
Christ  having  so  suffered  for  us,  what  is  there  which 
we  should  not  be  willing  to  do,  and,  if  need  be, 
suffer  for  himi 

Verse  16.     For  dogs  tave  compassed  me;  the  assembly  of  the 
wicked  have  inclosed  me :  they  pierced  my  hands  and  my  feet. 

Dogs,  in  the  East,  are  not  the  gentle,  attached, 
and  faithful  creatures  that  they  are  with  us.  Caressed 
by  nobody,  and  cared  for  by  nobody,  they  there 
acquire  no  attachments,  and  manifest  no  affection  for 
man ;  but  are  ill-natured,  fierce,  prowling,  and  ma- 
rauding— haunting  deserted  places,  where  they  often 
attack  the  solitary  traveller,  and  worry  him  to  death, 
and  devour  him  dead.  Nor  do  they  always  wait  for 
one  to  be  dead  before  they  commence  their  work, 
but  begin  tearing  his  flesh  to  pieces  so  soon  as  he 
becomes  helpless.  Homeless,  masterless,  wild,  and 
savage,  they  often  exist  in  such  multitudes  in  the 


PSALM   XXII.  281 

East  as  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  burying  the  slain. 
The  body  of  Jezebel  was  eaten  by  dogs  in  the  royal 
city  of  Jezreel,  and  at  the  very  sides  of  the  palace 
walls.  2  Kings  ix.  35-37.  To  these  merciless  and 
hunger-bitten  creatures,  Messiah  compares  the  assem- 
bly of  the  wicked  surrounding  him  on  Calvary.  The 
sight  of  his  body  sinking  rapidly  into  the  embrace  of 
death,  gave  them  unmingled  delight.  It  was  a  feast 
to  their  greedy,  ravening  malice.  "They  pierced 
my  hands  and  my  feet."  It  would  not  satisfy  his 
enemies  to  have  Messiah  die  in  a  quick  and  easy  way 
by  a  blow  of  the  sword,  or  the  thrust  of  a  spear,  or 
even  to  be  broken  at  once  upon  the  wheel ;  but  their 
cry  was,  "Crucify  him! — crucify  him!" — selecting  not 
only  the  most  ignominious,  but  the  most  lingering 
and  tormenting  death  that  could  be  inflicted — a  death 
wherein  nails  were  driven  through  the  hands  and 
feet,  the  four  great  centres  of  the  whole  nervous  sys- 
tem— centres  where  the  whole  network  of  nerves 
meet  and  knit  together,  so  that  any  pain  inflicted 
there  is  felt  throughout  every  nerve  and  fibre  of  the 
body.  In  this  way  Messiah  was  crucified.  The 
whole  weight  of  his  body,  convulsed  with  dislocating 
spasms,  and  consumed  besides  with  a  burning  fever, 
hung  upon  these  nails  for  six  long  hours,  so  piercing 
it,  till  death  came  to  his  relief  What  a  death! — and 
for  whom"?  For  you  and  me,  fellow  sinner !  O  Lamb 
of  God,  was  ever  pain,  was  ever  love  like  thine! 

Yerse  17.    I  may  tell  all  my  bones:  they  look  and  stare  upon  mc. 

"I  may  tell  all  my  bones." — These  words  describe 
the  emaciating  effect  of  Messiah's  mental  and  physi- 
cal sufferings.     Those  sufferings  had  consumed  his 
flesh  till  little  more  than  skin  and  bone  remained. 
2i* 


282  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMP. 

"The  skin  and  flesh,"  says  Bishop  Home,  "were  so 
distended  by  the  posture  of  his  body  on  the  cross, 
that  his  bones,  as  through  a  thin  veil,  became  visible 
and  might  be  counted."  His  visage,  as  Isaiah  had 
predicted,  "was  so  marred  more  than  any  man,  and 
his  form  more  than  the  sons  of  men."  Isa.  Hi.  14. 
The  form  and  comeliness  with  which  he  entered  on 
his  ministry  had,  under  its  labours,  its  watchings,  its 
fastings,  its  prayers,  its  sorrows,  its  trials,  and  its 
tortures,  disappeared.  Isa.  liii.  2.  The  superhuman 
beauty  of  his  person  had  given  place  to  the  wasted 
form,  the  trembling  limbs,  the  sunken  eye,  the  hag- 
gard look.  Sad  sight!  but  one  that  delights  his 
enemies,  for  he  adds,  "they  look  and  stare  upon  me." 
Whichever  way  he  turns  his  head,  he  encounters 
their  insulting  gaze — a  gaze  expressive  of  intense 
delight  in  witnessing  his  condition!  Disfigured  to  a 
skeleton,  they  enjoy  themselves  in  looking  at  him! 
No  wonder  that  we  read,  as  the  margin  renders 
Isaiah,  "He  hid  as  it  were  his  face  from  us."  Isa. 
liii.  3.  What  language  can  describe  how  acutely  he 
must  have  suffered  in  his  delicate,  sensitive,  shrink- 
ing feelings  of  modesty — the  lovely  companion  and 
never-failing  attendant  of  purity  and  innocence.  One 
of  the  severest  trials  of  the  early  Christians,  and 
especially  of  Christian  women,  was  being  exposed 
naked  to  the  gaze  of  the  midtitude.  The  thought 
of  being  so  exposed,  even  after  death,  often  had  an 
effect  upon  their  minds  which  nothing  else  could 
produce.  They  listened  to  the  threats  of  the  cross, 
of  the  wheel,  of  the  stake,  and  of  the  wild  beasts, 
undismayed;  but  when  it  was  added  to  the  sentence, 
that  their  bodies  should  be  exposed  naked  to  the 
wanton  gaze  of  their  persecutors,  their  hearts  died 


PSALM  XXII.  283 

within  them,  and,  like  the  Saviour  on  the  cross,  thoy 
hid  their  faces.  It  was  the  keenest  pang  their  pure 
minds  had  to  endure. 

Verse  18.     They  part  my  garments  among  them,  and  cast  lots 
upon  my  vesture. 

Parting  the  Sufferer's  garments  among  them,  while 
he  was  yet  alive,  depicts  with  fearful  force  the  utter 
indifference  with  which  his  crucifiers  witnessed  his 
sufferings.  It  seems  to  have  been  done,  not  so  much 
for  the  sake  of  gain,  as  it  was  as  a  pastime — a  mode 
of  beguiling  the  tediousness  of  their  watch  and  guard, 
until  their  prisoner  should  expire.  The  vesture  for 
which  lots  were  cast,  was  the  outer  garment,  worn 
over  the  other  clothing.  These  words  were  literally 
fulfilled  more  than  a  thousand  years  after  they  ap- 
peared in  this  psalm;  for  we  read  in  the  gospel  of 
St.  John,  "  Then  the  soldiers,  when  they  had  crucified 
Jesus,  took  his  garments,  and  made  four  parts,  to 
every  soldier  a  part;  and  also  his  coat:  now  the  coat 
was  without  seam,  woven  from  the  top  throughout. 
They  said  therefore  among  themselves.  Let  us  not 
rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it  shall  be:  that 
the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  which  saith.  They 
parted  my  raiment  among  them,  and  for  my  vesture 
they  did  cast  lots.  These  things  therefore  the  sol- 
diers did."  John  xix.  23,  24.  Who  can  see  words  so 
literally  fulfilled,  and  not  believe  them  to  have  been 
inspired;  and  especially  when  death  by  crucifixion, 
as  a  mode  of  capital  punishment,  was  not  known  in 
Judea  until  ages  after  the  prophetic  words  were 
uttered'?  It  was,  probably,  an  unusual  thing  for  his 
executioners  to  cast  lots  for  any  particular  part  of  a 
crucified  person's  clothing.     If  that  be  so,  the  fact 


284  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

makes  the  fulfilnient  of  the  prophecy,  that  they  cast 
lots  for  our  Lord's  coat,  the  more  remarkable. 

Verse  19.    But  be  not  thou  far  from  me,  0  Lord :  0  my  strength, 
haste  thee  to  help  me. 

Our  Lord  here  realizes  his   own  precept,  "that 

men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint."  Luke 

xviii.  1.     He  still  cries  unto  his  Father,  whom  he 

here  calls  Lord,  Jehovah,  that  is,  as  the  name  imports, 

The  Living  One.     His  own  life  is  ebbing  fast  away, 

and  he  looks  to  him  who  is  Life  itself,  infinite  and 

eternal,  to  sustain  him.     "  O  my  strength,  haste  thee 

to  help  me :"  the  strength  of  Jesus  to  bear  up  under 

his  sufferings  was  not  in  himself,  but  in  his  Father. 

He  had  strength  of  his  own  quite  adequate  to  sustain 

him — his  own  Divine  nature — but  he  refused  to  use 

it.    His  only  resource  is  the  prayer  of  faith,  addressed 

to  the  Father  Almighty.     He  altogether  ignores  his 

own  power,  and  cries  to  his  Father,  "  O  my  strength, 

haste  thee  to  help  me."     His  mission  to  earth  was 

not  to  glorify  himself,  but  his  Father;  not  his  own 

power,  but  his  Father's  power. 

Verse  20.     Deliver  my  soul  from  the  sword,  my  darling  from  the 
power  of  the  dog. 

Soul  and  darling  here  mean  the  same  thing — our 
Lord's  spiritual  self:  so  sword  and  dog  mean  the  same 
thing — the  unrelenting  agents  of  destruction  that 
were  assaulting  and  piercing  him.  Their  aim  was 
to  destroy  his  soul,  by  overpowering  his  faith  in  God. 
Hence  his  cry  to  God  for  deliverance. 

Verse  21.     Save  me  from  the  lion's  mouth:  for  thou  liast  heard 
me  from  the  horns  of  the  unicorns. 

The  lion,  from  whose  mouth  Messiah  here  prays 
to  be  delivered,  was,  no  doubt,  the  great  adversary, 
the  Prince  and  leader  of  the  powers  of  darkness.     It 


rsALM  xxiL  285 

is  thought  that  he  approached  the  Saviour,  in  the 
wilderness,  as  an  angel  of  light;  and  that,  having 
failed  to  heguile  him  by  his  subtleties  there,  he  was 
his  fiercest  and  most  unrelenting  assailant  on  the 
cross,  inflicting  torture  on  his  soul,  comparable  to 
being  crushed  in  the  mouth  of  an  infuriated  lion. 
"Be  not  thou  far  from  me;"  "haste  thee  to  help 
me;"  "deliver  my  soul;"  "save  me  from  the  lion's 
mouth."  Brief  prayers  these!  but  issuing  from  a 
bursting  heart — a  heart  bursting  with  the  intensity 
of  its  desires  to  recover  his  Father's  lost  smile.  They 
pierced  the  heavens,  and  brought  back  an  answer; 
for  the  Sufferer  immediately  adds,  in  the  same  breath 
in  which  he  had  sent  up  his  impassioned  cries,  "  For 
thou  hast  heard  me." 

"  Thou  hast  heard  me  from  the  horns  of  the  uni- 
corns." Yes !  the  Father  has  heard  him  at  last,  and 
delivered  him  even  from  the  horns  of  the  unicorns, 
an  animal  whose  thrust  and  toss  with  its  horn,  the 
lion  himself  shuns,  and  whose  thrust  and  toss,  there- 
fore, represent  the  most  fearful  temptations  that  can 
assault  the  soul.  "Thou  hast  heard  me."  Now  the 
Sufferer  can  say  of  the  work  which  he  ascended  the 
cross  to  accomplish,  "  It  is  finished."  John  xix.  30. 
The  spoiler  of  Eden's  bliss  is  himself  spoiled  of  his 
victory,  the  law  satisfied,  and  man  redeemed.  The 
question,  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me  V  is  now  answered.  The  Father  forsook  him  till 
he  should  have  made  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of 
the  world.  The  moment  that  is  accomplished,  he 
restores  unto  him  the  joy  of  his  salvation,  and  up- 
holds him  Avith  his  free  Spirit.  This  the  Son  now 
feels,  and  dies  satisfied.  He  dies  not,  however,  until 
there  passes  before  him,  in  bright  panorama,  all  the 


286  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

glorious  effects  of  his  death — nation  after  nation,  and 
kingdom  after  kingdom,  redeemed,  sanctified,  and 
saved  through  his  blood.  His  last  prayer  on  the 
cross  has  been  offered,  his  last  cry  of  distress  heard! 
Henceforth,  to  the  end  of  the  psalm,  we  hear  only 
the  voice  of  joy,  thanksgiving,  and  triumph.  The 
darkness  in  his  soul,  and  the  darkness  shrouding  the 
heavens,  have  passed  away. 

Verse  22.     I  will  declare  thy  name  unto  my  brethren :  in  the 
midst  of  the  congregation  will  I  praise  thee. 

This  is  the  beginning  of  the  joyful  transition  of 
which  we  have  just  spoken,  "I  will  declare  thy 
name  unto  my  brethren."  The  atoning  death  of 
Messiah  reveals  the  name,  the  moral  attributes,  of 
the  Father  Almighty,  in  a  brighter  and  more  capti- 
vating light,  than  any  in  which  they  had  ever  been 
exhibited  before.  What  new  ideas  must  it  have 
given  men,  of  God's  hatred  of  sin,  when  they  saw  his 
own  Son  dying  to  atone  for  it;  and  what  new  ideas 
of  his  love  for  the  sinner,  when  they  saw  his  own  Son 
dying  to  redeem  him!  "In  the  midst  of  the  con- 
gregation will  I  praise  thee."  So  fervently  and  ten- 
derly does  Messiah  love  all  those  who  take  refuge  in 
his  atonement,  that  he  identifies  himself  with  tliem  in 
praising  God  for  the  salvation  he  has  purchased  for 
them.  He  rejoices  with  them  in  their  joy,  and  thanks 
God  for  it. 

Verse  23.     Ye  that  fear  the  Lord,  praise  him:  all  ye  the  seed  of 
Jacob  glorify  hiui;  and  fear  him,  all  ye  the  seed  of  Israel. 

First  of  all,  Jesus  calls  upon  his  own  people  and 
nation  to  praise,  glorify,  and  fear  God,  for  what  he 
has  done  for  them.  Cruelly  as  they  had  treated  him, 
their  welfare  still  lay  near  his  heart.  His  personal 
ministry  was  wholly  devoted  to  them,  he  saying,  "I 


PSALM  XXII.  287 

am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel."  Matt.  xv.  24.  And  the  direction  given  to 
his  disciples,  after  his  resurrection,  and  as  he  was 
about  to  ascend,  was  the  same  in  its  tone  of  kindness 
to  his  brethren,  the  Jews;  that  is,  "that  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name 
among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem."  Luke 
xxiv.  47.  The  first  offer  of  salvation,  through  his 
blood,  was  to  be  made  to  those  who  had  shed  it! 

Verse  24.  For  he  hath  not  despised  nor  abhorred  the  affliction 
of  the  afflicted;  neither  hath  he  hid  his  face  from  him;  but 
when  he  cried  unto  him,  he  heard. 

Messiah  here  urges  his  own  example  upon  his 
brethren,  to  encourage  them  to  seek  the  mercy  of 
God.  He  had  been  tried  and  afflicted  as  no  other 
man  ever  was,  and  yet  the  Lord  heard  him  when  he 
cried  unto  him,  sustained,  and  at  last  delivered  him. 
And  surely,  says  he — for  such  is  the  import  of  his 
words — he  who  so  sustained  his  Son,  while  making 
an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  will  not 
refuse  to  sustain  any  poor  sinner  who  seeks  refuge 
in  that  atonement. 

Verse  25.  My  praise  shall  be  of  thee,  in  the  great  congrega- 
tion :  I  will  pay  my  vows  before  them  that  fear  Him. 

The  voivs  which  Messiah  here  pledges  himself  to 
pay,  were  thank-offerings  due  to  his  Father  for  the 
deliverance  he  had  wrought  out  for  him.  Persons 
who  had  been  delivered  from  some  great  danger  were 
wont  to  make  such  offerings  in  the  presence  of  the 
whole  congregation  of  Israel.  Most  of  us  forget  the 
vows  we  make  in  time  of  danger  and  of  trouble:  it 
was  not  so  with  our  Surety.  He  remembered  his 
vows  to  his  Father,  and  performed  them,  publicly 
ascribing  to  God  in  the  beginning  what  through  his 


289  LECTURES  ON  THE  TPALMS. 

Church  he  has  been  ascribing  to  him  ever  since, 
namely,  that  it  was  through  him  alone  that  he  pre- 
vailed on  the  cross  against  sin,  Satan,  and  the 
world. 

Verse  26.  The  meek  sli^ll  cat  and  be  satisfied;  they  shall  praise 
the  Lord  that  seek  him :  yuur  heart  shall  live  fur  ever. 

Messiah's  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  his  blood 
drink  indeed,  to  all  those  who  look  to  him  for  the  par- 
don of  their  sins  and  everlasting  life:  the  Bread  from 
heaven,  of  which  if  a  man  eat,  he  shall  never  hun- 
ger; the  Living  Water,  of  which  if  a  man  drink,  he 
shall  never  thirst.  To  this  fact  he  refers  here.  The 
atonement  he  has  made  for  their  sins  is,  to  all  peni- 
tent recipients,  a  feast  indeed.  It  inspires  them  with 
continual  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  God.  To  such 
the  Saviour  says,  "  your  heart  shall  live  for  ever." 
His  grace  in  their  hearts  is  a  source  of  perpetual 
peace  and  joy  to  them.  It  is  the  water  of  which  he 
elsewhere  says,  "whosoever  shall  drink  of  the  water 
that  I  shall  give  him,  shall  never  thirst;  but  the 
water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of 
water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life."  John  iv.  14. 
The  heart  lives  indeed  when  its  life-principle  is  the 
love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Verse  27.  All  the  ends  of  the  world  shall  remember  and  turn 
unto  the  Lord;  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations  shall  wor- 
ship before  thee. 

Here,  in  prophetic  vision,  the  at  last  triumphant 

Suff"erer  beholds  the  Gentiles,  as  well  as  the  Jews, 

sharing  in  the  blessings  of  his  redemption.     This 

began  to  be  fulfilled  when  the  gospel  was  preached  to 

Cornelius,  its  first  Gentile  convert,  (Acts  x.  34,  35,) 

and  has  been  fulfilling  ever  since,  in  nation  after 


PSALM  XXII.  289 

nation  of  the  heathen  world  casting  their  idols  to  the 
moles  and  the  bats,  and  turning  to  the  living  God. 
We  ourselves  constitute  a  part  of  the  fulfilment  of 
this  verse. 

Verse  28.  For  the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's;  and  he  is  the  gover- 
nor among  the  nations. 

These  words  describe  the  impression  made  upon 
the  mind  of  the  heathen  world,  by  the  story  of  "  God 
mamfested  in  the  fleshy  That  story  exhibited  love 
and  mercy,  truth  and  justice,  in  such  a  light  to  their 
minds,  that  they  were  convinced  that  the  God  of 
Abraham  was  the  only  true  God,  the  only  God  whose 
kingdom  ruleth  over  all,  and  deserves  to  rule  over 
all.  Midtitudes,  therefore,  that  no  man  could  num- 
ber, became  the  willing  and  rejoicing  subjects  of  his 
kingdom. 

Verse  29.  All  they  that  be  fat  upon  earth  shall  eat  and  wor- 
ship; all  they  that  go  down  to  the  dust  shall  bow  before 
him :  and  none  can  keep  alive  his  own  soul. 

"  All  they  that  be  fat,"  they  that  abound  in  every 
good  that  earth  can  bestow,  shall  find  a  good  in 
Christianity  that  the  world  cannot  give,  and  rejoice 
in  that  good.  "  All  they  that  go  down  to  the  dust," 
they  that  are  descending  into  the  dust  of  the  grave, 
and  unable  to  retain  the  soul  in  the  body,  even  they 
shall  be  strengthened,  rescued,  and  saved,  even  there, 
by  partaking  in  faith  of  the  feast  prepared  for  the 
soul  by  Messiah.  It  is  a  feast  that  gives  strength  in 
weakness,  life  in  death. 

Verse  30.  A  seed  shall  serve  him;  and  it  shall  be  accounted  to 
the  Lord  for  a  generation. 

A  prediction  that  the  gospel  of  Messiah's  salva- 
tion would  perpetuate  itself  from  age  to  age,  and 
from  generation  to  generation;  would  embrace  not 
25 


290  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

only  the  whole  world,  but  also  all  time,  in  the  circle 
of  its  blessings,  and  that  the  Lord  would  never  want 
for  a  generation  of  holy  ones  to  serve  him  in  the  gos- 
pel of  his  Son. 

Verse  31.     They  shall  come,  and  shall  declare  his  righteousness 
unto  a  people  that  shall  be  born,  that  he  hath  done  it. 

That  is,  the  Lord  Almighty,  the  deliverer  of  the 
Sufferer  upon  the  cross,  shall  never  want  for  wit- 
nesses to  proclaim  the  salvation  he  thereby  wrought 
out  for  the  world.  The  first  witnesses  of  the  great 
fact  were  the  apostles  on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  and 
other  witnesses  have  borne  the  same  testimony  in 
every  age  since,  and  are  bearing  it  now. 

Here  ends  the  bright  panorama  of  blessings  which 
Christ  foresaw  that  his  obedience  unto  death  would 
procure  for  the  world:  blessings  for  all,  and  all-suffi- 
cient for  all,  in  time,  and  in  eternity.  All  these 
blessings,  as  flowing  from  his  death,  he  foresaw  when 
he  said,  " thou  hast  heard  me:"  and  now,  having  seen 
them,  he  turns  to  his  Father,  saying,  "Father,  into 
thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit:  and  having  said 
thus,  he  gave  up  the  ghost."  Luke  xxiii.  46.  His 
body  has  been  wounded,  torn,  tormented;  his  soul 
agonized;  his  heart  broken;  little  does  he  care  for 
all  that  now.  Man  is  redeemed,  the  Divine  law 
magnified,  his  Father  glorified,  and  he — dies  content. 
The  grave  has  no  terrors  for  him,  and  he  descends 
into  it  assured  that  his  abode  there  will  be  of  brief 
duration.  His  first  cry  on  the  cross  was,  "My  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  mel"  His  last, 
"Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  Spirit." 
How  fearful  was  the  first  cry!  how  glorious  the  last!^ 

And  now,  beloved  reader,  do  you  desire  that  your 
whole  passage  through  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow 


PSALM   XXIII.  291 

of  death  may  be  as  bright  as  Messiah's  was  from  the 
time  his  Father  heard  him,  until  he  gave  up  the 
ghost '?  Your  desire  can  be  reahzed.  He  died  for 
the  express  purpose  of  rendering  the  whole  passage 
thus  bright  for  you.  He  is  no  longer  suffering 
Mercy,  dying  Mercy,  Mercy  dead — but  risen  Mercy, 
ascended  Mercy,  Mercy  at  the  right  hand  of  infinite 
power  on  high,  and  wielding  that  power  to  secure 
the  eternal  salvation  of  all  those  who  seek  it  in  his 
name.  Go  to  him  in  faith  and  prayer,  and  he  will 
give  you  the  victory — enable  you  at  your  last  hour 
to  say,  in  loving  confidence,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands 
I  commend  my  spirit,"  and  to  depart  hence,  singing, 
"O  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy 
victory'?" 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXIIL 

Verse  1.     The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd;  I  shall  not  want. 

How  different  the  opening  of  this  psalm  from  that  of 
the  twenty-second!  That  opens  with  the  agonizing 
cry,  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me?"  That  was  the  cry  of  our  Surety,  of  the  sin- 
ner's substitute,  drinking  off  the  cup  of  wrath  against 
sin,  and  in  the  sinner's  stead.  It  was  the  cry  of 
the  Shepherd  himself,  suffering  the  fulfilment  of  the 
words,  "Awake,  O  sword,  against  my  Shepherd,  and 
against  the  Man  that  is  my  Fellow,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts;  smite  the  Shepherd."  Zech.  xiii.  7.  This 
psalm,  however,  describes  the  fulness  of  the  grace 
and  mercy  which  our  Surety  thereby  purchased  for 


292  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

US.     Its  whole  strain,  therefore,  from  beginning  to 
end,  is  a  strain  of  joy  and  triumph. 

"  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd."  The  first  thing  that 
arrests  the  attention  is  the  name  of  the  Being  whom 
David  affirms  to  be  his  Shepherd.  It  is  the  Lord, 
Jehovah — that  is,  the  Living  One,  for  such  is  the 
import  of  the  word — "  the  High  and  Lofty  One  that 
inhabiteth  eternity."  Isa.  Ivii.  15.  This  Living  One, 
however,  to  whom  eternity  of  existence  is  ascribed, 
is  not  a  cold,  abstract,  isolated  being.  He  has  a 
heart,  even  the  heart  of  a  Shepherd.  And  how  ten- 
der a  Shepherd  he  is,  we  learn  where  it  is  said  of 
him,  "He  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  Shepherd;  he 
shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arms,  and  carry  them 
in  his  bosom,  and  gently  lead  those  that  are  with 
young."  Isa.  xl.  11.  In  what  captivating  colouring 
does  this  one  word,  Shepherd,  invest  the  character  of 
him  whose  presence  fills  immensity !  It  exhibits  him 
as  one  whose  love  for  his  people  never  tires.  The 
afi"ection  of  the  eastern  shepherd  for  his  flock,  and 
especially  for  the  lambs  of  his  flock,  is  remarkable. 
He  treats  them  as  tenderly  as  he  treats  his  children. 
Hence  Nathan  says  of  the  little  ewe-lamb,  of  which 
the  poor  man  had  been  robbed  by  his  rich  neighbour, 
"  it  grew  up  together  with  him  and  his  children ;  it 
did  eat  of  his  own  food,  and  drink  of  his  own  cup, 
and  lay  in  his  bosom,  and  was  unto  him  as  a  daugh- 
ter." 2  Sam.  xii.  3.  Such  is  the  eastern  shepherd; 
and  suclTis  David's  understanding  of  the  word,  when 
he  says,  "the  Lord  is  my  shepherd."  David  himself 
_jiad_been  a  shepherd,  and  knew  what  it  was  to  feel  a 
shepherd's  love  for  his  flock,  and  to  exercise  a  shep- 
herd's care.  He  risked  his  life  in  rescuing  a  lamb 
from  the  mouth  of  a  lion,  and  when  the  lion  turned 


PSALM  XXIII.  293 

upon  him,  he  slew  him.\J^Sam^XYii,  34»  35.  Our  Shep- 
herd, however,  not  only  risked,  but  sacrificed  his  life 
to  pluck  the  prey  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  destroyer. 
"He  gave  his  life  for  his  sheep."  John  x.  11.  Having 
such  a  Shepherd,  one  who,  to  secure  his  welfare, 
would  not  regard  even  his  life  dear  unto  himself, 
David  could  with  safety  say, 

"I  shall  not  want."  "He  that  spared  not  his  own 
Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not 
with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things'?"  Rom.  viii.  32. 
This  is  the  believer's  great  argument.  Having  the 
Lord  for  his  Shepherd,  he  cannot  want.  He  may  not 
always  have  everything  that  he  thinks  he  wants ;  he 
will,  however,  certainly  never  Avant  for  anything  that 
will  be  for  his  good.  This  is  the  faith  of  the  saints: 
that  what  they  have  is  all  that  would  be  for  their 
good,  otherwise  their  Shepherd  would  give  them 
more. 

Verse  2.     He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures :  he  lead- 
eth  me  beside  the  still  waters. 

The  oriental  shepherd  often  leads  his  flock  hun- 
dreds of  miles  to  secure  fresh  pasturage;  removing 
them,  as  it  fails  in  one  place,  to  another,  ever  guard- 
ing against  their  coming  to  want.  He  spares  no 
pains  to  make  his  flock  lie  down  in  green  pastures. 
Nor  is  he  less  pains-taking  to  secure  them  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  pure  water.  This  is  often  a  more 
difficult  task  than  finding  them  pasturage,  perennial 
streams  and  never-failing  fountains  being  of  rare 
occurrence  in  Judea  and  the  neighbouring  countries, 
especially  in  the  wilderness  portions  of  them.  In 
conducting  his  flock  from  place  to  place,  the  shepherd 
does  not  drive  them,  but,  going  on  before  them,  they 
follow  him — led  on  by  the  sound  of  his  voice,  whose 
25* 


294  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

tones  they  readily  distinguish  from  all  others.  The 
shepherd  also  gives  names  to  his  sheep,  with  which 
they  in  time  become  so  familiar,  that,  calling  any 
particular  sheep  by  name,  it  will  leave  the  flock,  and 
come  running  to  his  side,  with  every  manifestation 
of  pleasure  and  recognition.  Nor  will  it  heed  the 
call  of  any  other  person,  even  though  another  should 
call  it  by  its  name.  All  these  peculiarities  of  the 
shepherd  and  his  flock.  He  who  calls  himself  the 
good  Shepherd,  applies  to  himself,  saying,  "the 
sheep  hear  his  voice:  and  he  calleth  his  own  sheep 
by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out.  And  when  he  put- 
teth  forth  his  own  sheep,  he  goeth  before  them,  and 
the  sheep  follow  him ;  for  they  know  his  voice.  And 
a  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but  will  flee  from 
him:  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers." 
John  X.  3-5.  How  striking  the  parallel  between  the 
earthly  and  the  heavenly  Shepherd!  "He  maketh 
me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures:  he  leadeth  me 
beside  the  still  waters."  A  beautiful  picture  this ! — 
a  picture  often  presented  to  the  eye  of  the  traveller 
in  the  East — a  shepherd  with  his  flock  in  a  verdant, 
flower-enameled  pasture,  some  cropping  its  tender 
herbage,  some  reposing  on  its  soft  green  sward,  or 
under  the  shade  of  its  trees,  and  others  quenching 
their  thirst  at  its  gushing  fountains,  or  in  its  running 
brooks;  all  satisfied,  all  happy,  and  all  feeling  secure, 
seeing  their  guide,  their  protector,  their  friend,  their 
shepherd,  in  the  midst  of  them !  Such  is  the  imagery 
under  which  the  Saviour  shadows  forth  the  endearing 
relations  subsisting  between  him  and  his  people,  the 
strong  and  tender  ties  binding  him  to  them,  and  them 
to  him.  Hearing  his  voice  and  following  him,  he 
does  verily  make  them  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures, 


PSALM   XXIII.  295 

and  lead  them  beside  still  waters.  Ilis  love  and  grace 
in  the  soul  are  living  food  indeed,  affording  it  both 
sustentation  and  repose.  And  what  a  fountain,  as 
well  as  flowing  stream  of  refreshment,  are  his  sweet 
invitations  and  promises!  Truth,  descending  from 
Sinai,  is  the  roaring  torrent,  to  overwhelm  naked 
rocks,  and  rocks  torn  from  their  beds  marking  its 
course;  but  descending  from  Calvary,  as  "the  waters 
of  Shiloah  that  go  softly,"  (Isa.  viii.  6,)  it  is  a  stream 
flowing  on  so  gently  as  not  to  move  the  pebble  from 
its  resting-place,  so  purely  as  to  mirror  the  heavens 
in  its  bosom,  marking  its  course  everywhere  with 
life,  beauty,  and  fragrance.  It  is  not  to  the  voice  of 
the  trumpet,  waxing  louder  and  louder,  and  shaking 
the  mountain  from  foot  to  summit,  that  the  good 
Shepherd  invites  us  to  listen,  but  to  his  voice, 
saying,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  are  weary  and 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  Matt.  xi.  28. 
O  what  food  for  the  hungry,  and  what  drink  for 
the  thirsty  soul  has  the  Saviour  prepared  for  us  in 
his  word!  food  always  fresh  and  nourishing,  drink 
always  pure  and  refreshing !  As  food.  Job  says  of  it, 
"I  have  esteemed  the  words  of  his  mouth  more  than 
my  necessary  food."  Job  xxiii.  12.  So  also  Jere- 
miah, "Thy  words  were  found,  I  did  eat  them;  and 
thy  word  was  unto  me  the  joy  and  rejoicing  of  my 
heart."  Jer.  xv.  16.  The  Psalmist,  too,  "How  sweet 
are  thy  words  unto  my  taste;  yea,  sweeter  than  honey 
to  my  mouth."  Ps.  cxix.  103.  The  Divine  word  ap- 
plied to  the  heart  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  satisfies  the 
soul's  spiritual  thirst,  too,  as  well  as  its  spiritual 
hunger.  And  these  thirst-slaking  waters  God  sup- 
plies wherever  there  is  a  soul  panting  for  them. 
Hence  his  promise,  "  when  the  poor  and  needy  seek 


296  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

water,  and  there  is  none,  and  their  tongue  faileth  for 
thirst,  I  the  Lord  will  hear  them,  I  the  God  of  Jacob 
will  not  forsake  them,  I  will  open  rivers  in  high 
places,  and  fountains  in  the  midst  of  the  valleys.  I 
will  make  the  wilderness  a  pool  of  water,  and  the  dry- 
land springs  of  water."  Isa.  xli.  17,  18.  He  then 
adds,  "Ho,  eveiy  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the 
waters."  Isa.  Iv.  1.  This  was  the  voice  of  the 
Shepherd  in  Isaiah ;  and  eight  hundred  years  after- 
wards he  closes  his  revelation  of  himself  to  man  with 
the  same  unlimited  invitation,  saying,  "The  Spirit 
and  the  Bride  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth 
say.  Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come. 
And  whosoever  will^  let  him  take  the  water  of  life 
freely."  Rev.  xxii.  17. 

Verse  3.     He  restoreth  my  soul:  he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of 
righteousness  for  his  name's  sake. 

The  human  shepherd  is  careful  not  to  lead  his  flock 
beyond  their  strength:  he  gathers  the  lambs  with  his 
arms,  and  carries  them  in  his  bosom.  If  any  fall  ex- 
hausted by  the  way,  he  does  not  leave  it  to  perish,  but 
does  everything  he  can  to  revive  its  expiring  energies. 
Or  if  it  has  wandered  from  the  flock,  and  become 
exposed  to  perish  in  that  way,  he  rests  not  till  he  has 
restored  it  to  the  fold.  He  goeth  after  the  sheep 
which  is  lost,  until  he  find  it,  and  when  he  hath 
found  it,  he  layeth  it  on  his  shoulders,  rejoicing. 
Such,  too,  is  the  tender  care  of  the  Heavenly  Shep- 
herd. He  restoreth  the  soul  that  is  ready  to  perish. 
He  restores  it  in  the  first  instance  by  creating  it 
morally  anew,  by  infusing  his  grace  into  it  as  its  ele- 
ment of  a  new  spiritual  life.  And  if  the  soul  relapse 
into  sin  after  being  thus  renewed  by  his  grace,  he 
restores  it,  if  needs  be,  again  and  again.     He  has 


PSALM  XXIII.  297 

many  ways  of  restoring  the  soul  that  has  wandered 
from  the  fokl.  Sometimes  he  quickens  conscience  to 
reclaim  us,  as  he  quickened  David's,  when  his  heart 
smote  him  for  numbering  Israel.  2  Sam,  xxiv.  10. 
Sometimes  he  sends  some  faithful  minister  to  reclaim 
us,  as  he  sent  Nathan  to  David,  to  set  his  sin  before 
him  in  all  its  turpitude,  and  then  to  say  unto  him, 
"Thou  art  the  man."  2  Sam.  xii.  7.  Sometimes  he 
takes  the  lamb  of  some  wandering,  wayward  sheep,* 
and  bears  it  into  his  heavenly  fold,  and  then  the 
mother  comes  hastening  after  him.  2  Sam,  xii.  23. 
A  look  only,  brought  Peter  to  his  senses,  and  caused 
him  to  go  out  and  weep  bitterly.  Luke  xxii.  61,  62. 
The  good  Shepherd's  eye  and  heart  never  cease  to  be 
on  the  soul  in  its  wanderings,  to  revive  the  life  ex- 
piring within  it,  and  to  lead  it  back  into  the  green  pas- 
tures and  along  the  still  waters  he  has  chosen  for  it. 
If  that  life  be  as  near  to  expiring  as  the  spark  on  the 
end  of  the  extinguished  wick,  he  will  not  quench  it, 
but  kindle  it  into  a  blaze  again.  And  how  brighter 
than  ever  before  does  that  blaze  sometimes  burn  after 
having  been  thus  rekindled!  The  spiritual  life  of 
David  and  Peter  so  burned,  after  their  restoration. 
They  followed  the  Shepherd  more  closely  afterwards 
than  they  ever  followed  him  before.  The  Shepherd 
healed  them,  and  forgave  them  their  wanderings, 
though  they  seem  never  to  have  forgiven  themselves. 
Restoring  love  humbled  them  and  attached  them  to 
the  Shepherd  of  their  souls,  as  nothing  else  could. 
It  affects  all  true  believers  in  the  same  way.  "  He 
leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness,"  One 
of  the  principal  cares  of  the  shepherd  is  to  conduct 
his  flock  along  paths  that  they  can  travel  with  the 
least  danger.     He  never  leads  them  along  rough  and 


298  LECTUKES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

uneven  paths,  among  thorns,  and  over  rocks  and 
mountains,  except  where  their  safety  requires  it.  It 
is  the  same  with  the  heavenly  Shepherd.  He  always 
leads  his  flock  in  right  paths;  in  paths  along  which 
they  be  may  be  sure  that  they  can  follow  him  in 
safety.  These  paths  may  not  always  be  the  most 
agreeable  to  our  natural  feelings,  nevertheless  they 
are  paths  in  which  no  fatal  evil  can  befall  us.  The 
'right  paths,  or  paths  of  righteousness,  in  which  the 
good  Shepherd  leads  the  believer,  are  the  ways  of 
right  conduct  marked  out  for  him  in  the  word  of 
God.  He  puts  the  believer  in  those  ways  when  he 
creates  his  soul  anew,  and  keeps  him  therein  by  the 
continual  guidance  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  Both  the 
restoration  and  the  leading  here  spoken  of  are  de- 
scribed at  length  by  Ezekiel.  He  describes  the 
moral  restoration  of  the  soul  in  the  words,  "A  new 
heart  also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put 
within  you ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out 
of  your  flesh;  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh;" 
and  then  its  being  led  in  the  paths  of  righteousness, 
in  the  words,  "  And  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you, 
and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall 
keep  my  judgments,  and  do  them."  Ezek.  xxxvi. 
2Q,  27.  "  As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
they  are  the  sons  of  God."  Rom.  viii.  6.  And  that 
we  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  can  be  surely  known 
only  by  our  walking  in  the  ways  of  God's  laws  and 
in  the  works  of  his  commandments.  If  in  any  part, 
or  in  any  single  act  of  our  lives,  we  habitually  walk 
by  any  other  rule,  we  are  not  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  we  are  not  walking  in  the  paths  of  righteous- 
ness intended  here,  we  are  not  following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  the  Heavenly  Shepherd.     We   may  fancy 


PSALM  xxiir.  299 

ourselves  walking  in  the  green  pastures  and  along  the 
healing  waters  of  the  gospel.  But  it  is  all  a  fancy ; 
we  are  mistaken.  We  are  wandering  shepherd- 
less  in  the  wilderness  of  self-delusion.  The  Holy 
Spirit  leads  in  the  paths  of  righteousness,  and  in  all 
the  paths  of  righteousness  laid  down  in  the  word  of 
God.  He  knows  not  a  single  requirement  in  the 
whole  of  God's  revealed  will  and  law  that  can  be 
safely  left  out  of  our  obedience — not  one. 

"He  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for 
his  name's  sake."  "I,  even  I,  saith  the  Lord,  am  he 
that  blotteth  out  thy  transgressions  for  mine  own 
sake."  Isa.  xliii.  25.  It  is  even  so.  It  is  for  his 
own  sake,  not  for  mine,  that  the  Heavenly  Shepherd 
restoreth  my  soul,  and  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of 
righteousness.  There  is  no  moral  excellence  in  me 
to  move  him  to  the  work.  It  is  altogether  for  his 
own  sake  that  he  saves  me.  He  finds  in  himself  all 
his  reasons  for  saving  me.  He  saves  me  because  he 
is  love,  and  because  he  would  reveal  himself  in  that 
character  to  his  intelligent  universe.  He  pardons 
the  guilty  that  he  may  magnify  his  mercy.  He  sanc- 
tifies the  polluted,  that  he  may  magnify  his  holiness. 
All  his  dealings  with  us  are  designed  to  teach  us  his 
great  name — his  greatness  and  his  goodness.  We 
have  nothing  in  ourselves,  except  our  great  and  ac- 
knowledged wretchedness,  to  commend  us  to  his 
mercy.  His  own  love  moves  him  to  do  for  us;  re- 
gard for  his  own  infinitely  excellent  character  leads 
him  to  anticipate  our  wants.  He  finds  in  his  own 
heart  and  character  every  motive  that  can  prompt  to 
merciful  action;  and  he  allows  us  to  plead  this  with 
him  in  our  prayers.  Hence  the  inspired  words,  "For 
thy  name's  sake,  O  Lord,  pardon  mine  iniquity,  for 


300  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

it  is  great."  Psalm  xxv.  11.  "Help  us,  O  God  of  our 
salvation^  for  the  glory  of  thy  name ;  and  deliver  us, 
and  purge  away  our  sins,  for  thy  name's  sake."  Psalm 
Ixxix.  9.  "  O  Lord,  though  our  iniquities  testify 
against  us,  do  thou  it  for  thy  name's  sake."  Jer. 
xiv.  21.  "O  Lord,  hear;  O  Lord,  forgive;  O  Lord, 
hearken  and  do;  defer  not  for  thine  own  sake." 
Dan.  ix.  19.  It  is  not  any  finite  excellence  that  the 
Divine  Spirit  teaches  us  to  make  the  ground  and 
basis  of  our  acceptance,  but  to  make  infinite  excel- 
lencQ^that  ground  and  basis,  to  plead  the  glory  of  his 
own  name  with  God  as  the  reason  why  he  should 
fulfil  the  desires  and  petitions  of  his  needy  creatures. 
Appealing  to  his  own  name,  his  own  character,  is 
appealing  at  once  to  the  living  Fountain  of  infinite 
love  and  mercy.  How  truly  then  may  every  believer 
say  with  the  author  of  "  The  Lord  our  Shepherd," 
"I  recline  in  green  pastures,  but  it  is  my  Shepherd 
who  maketh  me  lie  down.  I  partake  of  still  waters, 
because  it  is  my  Shepherd  who  leads  me  continually 
beside  them !  I  am  brought  back  from  my  wander- 
ings, for  it  is  his  mercy  alone  that  restoreth  my  soul. 
And  I  am  now  walking  in  the  paths  of  righteousness 
only  because  my  Shepherd  condescends  to  lead  me  in 
them  for  his  name's  sake." 

Verse  4.  Yea,  though  I  walk  throug-h  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil;  for  thou  art  with  me;  thy  rod 
and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me. 

Before  the  flock  of  the  good  Shepherd  can  reach 
the  fields  that  stand  dressed  in  ever-living  green, 
through  which  flows  the  pure  river  of  the  water  of 
life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb  (Rev.  xxii.  1,)  it  has  to  pass 
through  a  dark  valley.     It  is  called  the  "  valley  of 


PSALM   XXIII.  301 

the  shadow  of  death."  It  is  not  the  valley  of  death 
itself,  but  only  of  its  shadow.  If  you  wish  to  see  the 
valley  of  death  itself,  read  the  twenty-second  psalm, 
and  you  will  see  in  it  the  valley  through  which  the 
sinner's  Surety  passed,  shrieking,  "My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  thou  forsaken  me!"  It  was  through  the 
valley  of  death  itself  that  he  passed.  It  precipitated 
itself  upon  him  in  its  substance,  veiling  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  and  his  soul  in  darkness  that  was  felt. 
He  endured  death  in  its  substance.  And  why  in  its 
substance'?  To  the  end  that  all  those  following  him 
as  their  Shepherd  should  henceforth  endure  it  only 
in  its  shadow.  And  how  often  to  those  following 
him  is  even  this  shadow  of  death,  not  a  dark,  but  a 
luminous  shadow!  More  than  one  has  exclaimed, 
as  he  entered  it,  "There  is  light  in  the  valley! — there 
is  light  in  the  valley! — is  this  dying? — how  have  I 
dreaded  as  an  enemy  this  smiling  friend!"  "How 
hard  it  is  to  die!"  said  one  to  an  humble  believer  in 
his  last  moments.  "O  no,  no,"  he  replied — "easy 
dying,  blessed  dying,  glorious  dying!  I  have  expe- 
rienced more  happiness  in  dying  two  hours  this  day, 
than  in  my  whole  life  before.  It  is  worth  a  whole 
life  to  have  such  an  end  as  this!" 

"  For  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me."  We 
learn  in  these  words  the  secret  of  the  believer's  pass- 
ing the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  fearing  no 
evil.  His  Shepherd  both  guides  and  sustains  him. 
We  read  that  the  rod  and  staff  of  the  shepherd  serves 
a  double  purpose.  Passing  it  lengthwise  gently  along 
the  side  of  his  sheep,  and  holding  it  there,  he  guides 
them  in  safety  in  paths  running  along  the  very  verge 
of  the  precipice.  Again,  coming  to  rocks  and  ascents 
that  they  cannot  surmount  in  their  own  strength, 


302  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

reversing  the  rod  in  his  hand,  he  passes  its  crook 
under  his  panting  sheep,  and  so  helps  them  to  sur- 
mount whatever  opposes  their  progress,  and,  if  needs 
be,  even  lifts  them  over  it.  The  heavenly  Shepherd 
uses  his  rod  and  staff  in  the  same  way.  He  guides 
us  by  his  word;  he  sustains  us  by  his  grace;  he 
chooses  out  the  paths  wherein  we  should  walk — say- 
ing to  us,  when  we  would  turn  to  the  right  hand  or 
to  the  left,  "This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it"  (Isa. 
XXX.  21 ;)  and  when  we  strive  to  obey  him,  he  adds, 
"  I  mil  strengthen  thee ;  yea,  I  will  help  thee ;  yea, 
I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  right- 
eousness." Isa.  xli.  10.  In  this  gentle  way  the  good 
Shepherd  leads  his  flock  to  their  final  resting  place ; 
if  not  always  in  triumph,  always  in  comfort ;  if  not 
always  along  easy  paths,  always  along  safe  ones;  if 
not  always  in  sight  of  him,  yet  always  within  sound 
of  his  voice,  and  that  a  cheering  voice:  "Fear  not, 
little  flock,  for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to 
give  you  the  kingdom."  Luke  xii.  32. 

Veese  5.  Thou  prepares!  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of 
mine  enemies;  thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil,  my  cup 
runneth  over. 

These  words  describe  the  manner  in  which  an 
oriental  great  man  welcomes  the  guest  whom  he 
wishes  to  honour.  He  spreads  a  table  for  him,  loaded 
with  every  delicacy  that  can  tempt  the  appetite; 
and  also  pours  upon  his  head,  and  arms,  and  hands, 
some  fragrant  perfume.  The  host  also  puts  a  cup 
into  the  hands  of  his  guest,  and  pours  wine  into  it 
till  it  runs  over.  All  this  is  done  by  the  great  man, 
to  assure  his  guest  that  he  receives  him  with  the 
greatest  pleasure,  and  that  he  shall  enjoy  under  his 
roof  every  comfort  in  his  power  to  bestow.     David's 


PSALM   XXIII.  S03 

reference  to  this  custom  in  the  words,  "Thou  pre- 
parest  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of  mine  ene- 
mies; thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil,  my  cup  run- 
neth over,"  is  beautiful  and  striking.     '*  The  Lord," 
says  another,  "  had  early  received  the  Psalmist  into 
his  favour;  raised  him  to  the  highest  honours  from 
a  very  humble  condition;  and,  what  was  infinitely 
better,  he  set  before  him  the  inestimable  blessings  of 
redeeming  love,  prepared  him  by  a  copious  unction 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enjoy  them,  and  welcomed  him 
in  the  most  honourable  manner  by  putting  the  cup 
of  salvation  into  his  hands,  in  the  presence  of  all  his 
people,  and  pouring  into  it,  with  unsparing  hberality, 
the  wine  of  heavenly  consolation."      This  feast  of 
redeeming  love,  of  which  we  can  partake  in  the  pre- 
sence of  all  our  enemies,  even  of  death  itself — this 
anointing  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  this  cup  of  salvation 
overflowing   with  wine   from   the  vineyard  of  the 
Lord,  from  the  wine-press  trodden  by  our  Immanuel, 
is  a  feast,  an  anointing,  a  cup  of  salvation,  prepared 
for  all.    All  are  invited  to  partake  of  it,  for  the  invi- 
tation  runs.  Ho!  every  one — every  one   that   hun- 
gereth,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  and  whosoever  will. 

Verse  6.  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  sliall  follow  me  all  the 
days  of  my  life;  and  I  will  dwell  in  tlie  house  of  the  Lord 
for  ever. 

The  surely  of  this  verse  is  better  translated  only. 
This  then  is  the  conclusion  at  which  David  arrives, 
and  at  what  other  conclusion  could  he  arrive  %  Such 
a  Shepherd  as  he  has  described  could  not  leave  him 
to  perish  at  the  last;  nor  such  a  host  and  entertainer 
banish  him  his  presence  at  the  end  of  his  days.  As 
only  goodness  and  mercy  had  followed  him  in  all 
time  past,  so,  he  was  sure,  goodness  and  mercy  would 


804  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

follow  him  in  all  time  to  come.  David  had  endured 
many  a  cross,  suffered  many  an  affliction,  and  tasted 
many  a  cross  of  bitterness,  but  here  he  speaks  of  all 
God's  dealings  with  him  as  being  only  goodness 
and  mercy.  Such  is  the  privilege  of  the  believer, 
that  is,  to  have  all  things  work  together  for  his  good, 
and  to  reckon  even  death  itself  among  his  treasures. 
"  And  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for 
ever."  David  was  persuaded  that  such  goodness  and 
mercy  as  he  had  experienced,  could  not  end  with  his 
life,  but  that  they  would  follow  him  into  eternity, 
and  be  hi^  for  ever.  This,  too,  is  the  privilege  of  the 
believer,  to  know  that  the  green  pastures  and  still 
waters,  the  feast  of  redeeming  love,  the  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  cup  of  salvation  overflowing  with 
heavenly  consolations,  vouchsafed  him  here,  are  an 
earnest  of  still  better  things  in  reserve  for  him  here- 
after, of  joys  that  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
nor  has  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive. 
And  need  we  urge  any  to  follow  such  a  Shepherd  as 
this  I  to  enter  his  fold  and  put  yourselves  under  his 
care'?  Fear  not  that  you  will  not  be  able  to  follow 
him.  He  will  see  to  that.  He  giveth  power  to  the 
faint,  and  to  them  that  have  no  might,  he  increaseth 
strength.  Isa.  xl.  29.  What  though  your  strength 
should  be  as  small  and  your  feet  as  tender  as  the 
new-bom  lamb's? — no  matter,  "He  gathereth  the 
lambs  with  his  arms,  and  carrieth  them  in  his  bosom." 
Isa.  xl.  11.  He  will  not  allow  the  most  timid  child 
of  grace,  essaying  to  follow  him,  to  perish  by  the 
way.  Hear,  too,  how  the  Shepherd  speaks  of  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  in  which  David  was  assured  that 
he  would  dwell  for  ever.  "  In  my  Father's  house  are 
many  mansions:  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told 


PSALM  XXIV.  305 

you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go 
and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and 
receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye 
may  be  also."  John  xiv.  2,  3.  So  it  is:  every  one 
following  the  good  Shepherd  has  prepared  for  him  a 
house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens,  a 
house 

"  Where  the  saints  of  all  ages  in  harmony  meet, 
Their  Saviour  and  brethren,  transported  to  greet; 
While  the  anthems  of  rapture  unceasingly  roll. 
And  the  smile  of  the  Lord  is  the  feast  of  the  soul." 

May  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  incline  us  all  so  to 
follow  the  good  Shepherd,  that  we  may  pass  through 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  fearing  no  evil; 
and  having  so  passed  it,  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  for  ever. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXIV, 

Verse  1.     The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof;  the 
world,  and  they  that  dwell  therein. 

This  psalm  was  composed  by  David,  to  be  sung  on 
the  occasion  of  removing  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant 
from  the  house  of  Obed-edom  to  the  new  tabernacle 
that  had  been  prepared  and  pitched  for  it  on  Mount 
Zion  at  Jerusalem.  So  David,  we  read,  and  all  the 
elders  of  Israel,  and  the  captains  over  thousands, 
went  to  bring  up  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  of  the 
Lord  from  the  house  of  Obed-edom.  1  Chron.  xv. 
25.  And  again,  "  So  David,  and  all  the  house  of 
Israel  brought  up  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  with  shout- 
ing, and  with  the  sound  of  the  trumpet."  2  Sam. 
26* 


306  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

vi.  15.  The  procession  escorting  the  ark  was  no 
doubt  magnificent.  At  the  head,  the  ark,  by  Divine 
command,  1  Chron.  xv.,  was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of 
Levites.  While  the  vast  multitude  were  thus  moving 
in  procession,  with  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  borne  on 
before  them,  containing  the  golden  pot  of  manna, 
Aaron's  rod,  and  the  tables  of  the  law,  this  twenty- 
fourth  psalm  was  chanted  with  music.  It  opens  with 
the  words,  "The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness 
thereof;  the  world,  and  they  that  dwell  therein." 
Earth  here  means  the  whole  terraqueous  globe — the 
inhabited  and  cultivated  portions  of  the  earth.  This 
God,  in  whom  all  things  earthly  live,  and  move,  and 
have  their  being,  had  chosen  Israel  to  be  his  peculiar 
people.  This  distinguishing  love  excites  their  live- 
liest gratitude.  They  think  of  his  condescending 
greatness  and  goodness,  while  following  the  symbol 
of  his  presence.  The  gods  of  the  heathen  were  local 
gods ; — Israel's  God  was  the  God  of  the  whole  earth. 
Of  his  God  the  Israelite  was  taught  to  say,  "  Whither 
shall  I  go  from  thy  Spirit '?  or  whither  shall  I  flee 
from  thy  presence'?  If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  thou 
art  there:  if  I  make  my  bed  in  hell,  behold  thou  art 
there.  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning  and 
dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea;  even  there 
shall  thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy  right  hand  hold  me." 
Ps.  cxxxix.  7-10.  It  is  with  thoughts  of  this  sort 
that  the  Israelites  solemnize  and  elevate  their  minds, 
as  they  follow  the  Ark  of  God  to  its  new  resting- 
place  on  Mount  Zion  at  Jerusalem.  The  God  of  the 
whole  earth  was  their  God,  and  they  could  not  but 
laud  and  magnify  his  name. 

Verse  2.     For  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the  seas,  and  established 
it  upon  the  floods:  [or  above  the  seas,  and  above  the  floods.] 


PSALM  XXIV.  307 

Here  is  an  allusion  to  the  words,  "God  said,  Let 
the  waters  under  the  heavens  be  gathered  together 
unto  one  place,  and  let  the  dry  land  appear:  and  it 
was  so."  Gen.  i.  9.  The  separation  of  land  and  water 
so  as  henceforth,  to  the  end  of  time,  to  keep  each  dis- 
tinct from  the  other,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
exhibitions  of  the  Divine  power.  God  hath  set  a 
bound  to  the  waters  that  they  may  not  pass  over,  to 
cover  again  the  earth,  Ps.  civ.  9 ;  and  on  reaching  the 
bound  appointed  them,  they  hear  a  voice,  "  Hitherto 
shalt  thou  come,  and  no  further:  here  shall  thy  proud 
waves  be  stayed."  Job  xxxviii.  11.  For  six  thou- 
sand years  the  waters  of  the  sea  have  remained  where 
God  gathered  them  together  in  the  beginning.  He 
has  so  held  the  wind  in  his  fist,  that,  tossing  the 
waves  of  the  sea  ever  so  high,  it  has  never  been  able 
to  force  them  beyond  the  boundaries  prescribed  to 
them  at  the  first.  Moreover,  he  has  so  regulated  the 
temperature  of  the  ocean,  that  its  waters  have  never 
overflowed  in  that  way.  This  is  wonderful !  for  ele- 
vating the  temperature  of  the  waters  of  the  whole 
earth  a  few  degrees  only,  some  say,  one  degree  only, 
would  swell  them  far  above  the  tops  of  the  highest 
mountains.  Wonderful  indeed  is  the  manner  in 
which  God  has  preserved  the  dry  land  such  as  he 
made  it  in  the  beginning;  and  what  significance  does 
his  preservation  of  the  earth  in  this  way  give  to  the 
words,  "He  hath  founded  it  above  the  seas,  and 
established  it  above  the  floods."  Truly,  "  the  sea  is 
his,  and  he  made  it;  and  his  hands  prepared  the 
dry  land."  Ps.  xcv.  5.  Each  remains  where  he  placed 
it,  neither  rising  above,  nor  sinking  below  its  origi- 
nally appointed  level. 

The  rivers  and  the  fountains  too,  also  reckoned 


308  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

parts  of  the  sea,  God  confines  within  equally  certain 
and  established  bounds.  The  fountain  that  gave  out 
so  much  water  six  thousand  years  ago,  gives  out  the 
same  quantity  to-day.  He  did  cleave  the  earth  with 
rivers,  (Hab.  iii.  9,)  cut  out  channels  for  them  among 
the  rocks,  (Job  xxviii.  10;)  and  the  channels  he  cut 
for  them  in  the  beginning  are  still  sufficient  to  con- 
tain their  waters,  and  send  them  onward  to  the  ocean. 
His  springs,  too,  are  found  alike  in  the  hills  and  the 
valleys.  Ps.  civ.  10.  Thus  he  preserveth  the  habita- 
ble portions  of  the  earth  always  the  same,  ever  safe 
for  the  abode  of  man,  and  fruitful  in  everything  that 
can  minister  to  his  sustentation  and  comfort.  "All 
the  rivers  run  into  the  sea;  yet  the  sea  is  not  full: 
unto  the  place  whence  the  rivers  come,  thither  they 
return  again,"  (Eccl.  i.  7,)  to  repeat,  in  never-ending 
circuits,  their  fertilizing  flow  to  the  ocean.  "  O  Lord, 
how  manifold  are  thy  works!  in  wisdom  hast  thou 
made  them  all:  the  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches;  so  is 
this  great  and  wide  sea,  wherein  are  things  creeping 
innumerable,  both  small  and  great  beasts."  Ps.  civ. 
24,  25.  Such  was  the  God  of  the  whole  earth,  the 
God  of  Israel. 

Verse  3.     "Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord?  or  who 
shall  stand  in  his  holy  place  ? 

That  is,  what  must  the  moral  character  of  the  man 
be,  who  would  stand  in  the  presence  of  God,  a  worthy 
and  acceptable  worshipper'?  The  question  is  similar 
to  that  of  Balak  to  Balaam:  "Wherewithal  shall  I 
come  before  the  Lord,  and  bow  myself  before  the 
high  God^  Shall  I  come  before  him  with  burnt- 
offerings,  with  calves  of  a  year  old?  Will  the  Lord 
be  pleased  with  thousands  of  rams,  or  with  ten  thou- 
sands of  rivers  of  oil]  shall  I  give  my  first-born  for 


\ 

rsALM  XXIV.  309 

my  transgressions,  the  fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin  of 
my  soul?"  To  which  Balaam's  answer  was,  "He 
hath  showed  thee,  O  man,  what  is  good:  and  what 
doth  the  Lord  require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and 
to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God." 
Micah  vi.  6-8.  Only  in  holiness  and  pureness  of 
living  can  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  be  acceptably 
worshipped.  This  is  implied  in  the  demand,  "  Who 
shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord?  or  who  shall 
stand  in  his  holy  place?"  A  very  pertinent  question 
in  the  mouths  of  those  just  now  beginning  to  ascend 
the  mount  whereon  the  ark  was  to  be  placed  in  its 
new  tabernacle,  and  wherein  the  Lord  was  henceforth 
to  be  consulted,  his  will  ascertained,  his  wrath  depre- 
cated, and  his  mercy  implored.  Who  then  is  the 
worthy  and  accepted  worshipper  ? 

Verses  4,  5.  He  that  Lath  clean  hands,  and  a  pure  heart;  who 
hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul  unto  vanity,  nor  sworn  deceitfully : 
he  shall  receive  the  blessing  from  the  Lord,  and  righteous- 
ness from  the  God  of  his  salvation. 

This  is  the  man,  and  the  only  man,  who  so  wor- 
ships God  as  to  obtain  his  blessing.  "He  that  hath 
clean  hands:" — the  man  whose  life  is  unsullied  by  a 
single  act  of  wrong,  of  which  he  has  not  repented  and 
repaired,  so  far  as  he  could.  "He  that  hath  a  pure 
heart:" — the  man  whose  heart  is  as  free  of  every 
cherished  wrong  feeling,  as  his  life  is  of  indulged 
wrong  acts.  "Who  hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul  unto 
vanity:" — the  man  who  has  not  set  his  affections 
upon  earthly  things,  but  upon  things  heavenly ;  whose 
heart  is  in  heaven,  where  God  his  treasure  is.  "Who 
hath  not  sworn  deceitfully:" — the  man  who  never 
utters  a  word  which  he  does  not  believe  to  be  true, 
nor  makes  a  vow  to  God  or  man,  which  he  does  not 


310  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

do  his  best  to  perform.  He,  he  is  the  man  who  shall 
"receive  the  blessing  of  the  Lord,  and  righteousness 
from  the  God  of  his  salvation."  When  he  appears 
before  the  Lord  with  sacrifices,  offerings,  and  obla- 
tions, he  shall  not  be  sent  empty  away.  He  shall 
return  to  his  house  justified.  The  moral  purity  of 
his  life  proves  his  repentance  to  be  sincere,  and  his 
faith  entire.  He  realizes  that  to  obey  is  better  than 
sacrifice,  though  he  by  no  means  neglects  sacri- 
ficing. 

Verse  6.     This  is  the  generation  of  them  that  seek  him,  that 
seek  thy  face,  0  [God  of]  Jacob.     Selah. 

/  "This  is  the  generation" — that  is,  this  is  the  cha- 
racter of  all  those  who  worship  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth — the  character  of  the  worshipper  just  described. 
They  utterly  repudiate  as  acceptable  to  God  that 
worship  of  him  which  is  not  connected  with  a  just 
and  holy  life.  "  Selah" — this  word  is  a  call  upon  all 
persons  to  pause  and  consider  this,  to  ponder  it  well, 
lest  they  be  led  to  imagine  that  the  form  avails  any- 
thing without  the  spirit.  To  imagine  this  has  been 
the  great  error  of  the  world  from  the  beginning.  It 
was  the  error  of  Cain.  He  imagined  that  his  offer- 
ing would  obtain  him  the  favour  of  God,  irrespective 
of  the  feelings  that  prompted  it.  His  offering  was 
rejected.  It  was  otherwise  with  Abel's  offering;  it 
was  accepted,  because  made  with  a  broken  heart  and 
contrite  spirit.  Each  was  treated  according  to  the 
feelings  that  prompted  him;  it  is  always  so.  The 
Lord  looketh  upon  the  heart,  and  none  but  the  pure 
in  heart,  none  but  those  hungering  and  thirsting  after 
righteousness  are  recognized  as  his  friends  and  the 
welcome  inmates  of  his  house.     Chanting  this  senti- 


PSALM   XXIV.  311 

ment  as  they  approach  the  hol)^  mountain,  the  pro- 
cession raise  the  cry, 

Verse  7.     Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates ;  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye 
everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 

The  whole  city  of  Jerusalem  was  surrounded  by 
walls  set  with  gates,  and  also,  being  its  citadel, 
Mount  Zion  within  the  city,  whose  walls  were  very 
high,  and  its  gates  of  corresponding  altitude.  These 
gates  were  of  immense  size,  having  large  folding- 
doors  turning  upon  pivots  set  in  sockets,  and  having 
also  an  upper  part,  called  the  jwrtcuUis,  that  could 
be  raised  or  lowered,  as  occasion  should  require. 
These  portcullises,  called  also  the  heads  of  the  gates, 
were  never  raised  except  upon  extraordinary  occa- 
sions, and  when  some  extraordinary  personage  was 
about  to  enter.  That  was  the  case  on  the  present 
occasion;  and  hence  the  challenge  to  lift  them  up. 
The  King  of  glory  was  about  to  pass  through  them 
to  the  throne  erected  for  him  on  the  holy  mountain. 
To  this  challenge  of  the  priests  advancing  with  the 
ark,  the  presence-symbol  of  Jehovah,  the  priests 
guarding  the  gates  demand. 

Verse  8.     Who  is  this  King  of  glory? 

The  Lord  strong  and  mighty,  the  Lord  mighty  in  battle, 

is  the  answer  returned.  The  Personage  to  whom 
they  should  open  wide  their  gates,  and  lift  high  their 
heads,  was  none  other  than  the  Lord  God  of  Israel; 
he  who  had  fought  all  their  battles  for  them,  and 
achieved  all  their  victories.  It  was  he  who  demanded 
to  be  received  and  welcomed  as  a  conqueror  return- 
ing to  his  people;  hence  the  repetition  of  the  chal- 
lenge by  his  heralds — 

Verse  9.     Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates;  even  lift  them  up,  ye 
everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 


312  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

This  second  challenge  of  the  advancing  priests  was 

answered  as  the  first  was  answered, 

Verse  10.     Who  is  this  Kinc^  of  glory? 

The  Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  King  of  glory. 

Though  nearly  the  same,  nevertheless  this  second 
answer  is  an  enlargement  upon  the  first.  Not  only 
is  he  the  Lord,  strong  and  mighty,  the  Lord  mighty 
in  battle,  but  also  "  the  Lord  of  hosts."  This  one 
phrase,  "  the  Lord  of  hosts,"  shows  this  King  of 
glory  to  be  not  only  the  God  of  Israel  and  the  God 
of  this  world,  but  the  God  of  all  worlds.  "  Behold," 
says  Moses  to  Israel,  "  the  heaven  and  the  heaven  of 
heavens  is  the  Lord's  thy  God,  the  earth  also,  with 
all  that  therein  is."  Deut.  x.  14. 

In  this  solemn  and  significant  way  the  ark  of 
the  covenant  passes  through  the  gates,  ascends  the 
mount,  to  the  tabernacle  prepared  for  it,  and  is 
placed  in  the  holy  of  holies,  where  it  was  over- 
shadowed by  the  golden  cherubim.  Henceforth, 
when  God  was  about  to  communicate  his  will  to  his 
people,  a  light  of  supernatural  brightness  shone  be- 
tween the  cherubim  overshadowing  the  ark,  from 
which  light  there  issued  the  voice  divine.  In  this 
way  did  the  King  of  glory  take  up  his  abode  with 
men,  to  guide  their  feet  in  the  ways  of  peace  and 
everlasting  life.  His  throne  was  a  throne  of  grace ; 
and  yet,  seated  upon  such  a  throne,  none  could  ap- 
proach him  acceptably  but  those  who  aimed  to  be 
pure  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  and  were  firmly 
resolved,  God  helping  them,  to  serve  him  in  holiness 
and  righteousness  all  the  days  of  their  lives.  Others 
might  appear  before  him  with  their  sacrifices  and 
oblations,  and  make  long  prayers,  but  neither  their 


PSALM   XXIV.  313 

persons  nor  their  offerings  would  be  accepted,  nor 
their  prayers  heard. 

A  higher  significance  has,  however,  been  given  to 
this  psalm,  than  this  of  representing  the  ascent  of 
the  ark  of  God  to  its  resting-place  on  Mount  Zion. 
It  is  believed  to  represent,  in  its  highest  sense,  the 
ascent  of  Christ,  the  King  of  glory,  to  heaven,  after 
his  victories  over  sin,  death,  and  hell.  It  therefore 
constitutes,  in  our  church,  a  part  of  the  special  an- 
them for  Ascension-day.*  Having  shown  himself 
alive  after  his  passion  by  many  infallible  signs,  being 
seen  of  his  disciples  forty  days,  and  speaking  to  them 
of  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  he  at 
last  stood  with  them  on  Mount  Olivet,  speaking  to 
them  his  last  words ;  and  while  they  beheld,  he  was 
taken  up,  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their 
sight.  Acts  i.  9.  This  cloud,  the  sheldnah  of  the 
Divine  Presence — seen  first  in  the  bush  by  Moses, 
abode  on  Mount  Sinai,  guided  the  Israelites  in  their 
wanderings — hovered  over  the  tabernacle,  filled  the 
holy  of  holies,  and  the  whole  temple,  on  the  day  of 
its  consecration,  with  a  light  so  intense  that  the 
priests  could  not  stand  within  to  minister  at  the 
altar.  This  was  the  cloud  which,  receiving  the 
ascending  Messiah,  bore  him  out  of  the  sight  of  his 
disciples.  It  appears,  too,  that  he  was  escorted  to 
heaven  by  myriads  of  angels,  who,  as  this  psalm 
teaches  us,  as  they  approach  the  entrance  to  the 
temple  on  Mount  Zion  above,  the  gates  of  the 
new  Jerusalem,  raise  the  cry,  "Lift  up  your  heads, 
O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors, 

*  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Cliurcli,  of  which  the  author  was  a  minister, 
observes  the  fortieth  day  after  Easter  as  the  anniversary  of  the  ascension 
of  Christ. 

27 


814  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in."  "Who  is  this 
King  of  glory'?"  demand  the  watching  angels  of  their 
advancing  fellows,  seeing  them  escorting  one  who 
seemed  to  them  to  be  only  a  man.  "The  Lord 
strong  and  mighty,  the  Lord  mighty  in  battle,"  was 
the  startling  reply.  "Mighty  in  battle!" — mighty 
indeed!  How  mighty,  let  darkened  heavens  and 
the  convulsions  of  Calvary  tell!  How  mighty,  let 
the  great  adversary  of  God  and  man,  and  the  grave, 
henceforth  robbed  of  its  power  to  retain  its  victims, 
tell!  He  met  in  battle  every  enemy  of  God  and 
man,  and  conquered  all.  He  conquered  sin ;  he  con- 
quered death;  he  conquered  hell.  The  escorting 
angels,  then,  could  well  repeat  their  cry,  "Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye 
everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come 
in."  They  knew  whom  they  were  escorting.  Per- 
haps some  of  them  had  ministered  to  Llim  after 
his  temptation  in  the  wilderness;  and  others  of 
them  had  ministered  to  him  in  his  agony  in  the 
garden.  It  was,  however,  difficult  for  the  angels 
guarding  the  entrance  to  the  celestial  city,  to  realize 
that  one  approaching  them  in  such  an  humble  mien, 
to  all  appearance  a  mere  man,  could  be  what  he  was 
proclaimed  to  be.  They  therefore  repeat  their  de- 
mand, "Who  is  this  King  of  glory "?"  and  again  are 
answered,  "The  Lord  of  hosts."  It  is  even  so;  our 
Messiah  is  the  Lord  of  hosts !  By  him  were  all  things 
created  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that  are  in  the  earth, 
visible  and  invisible.  "All  things  were  made  by  him; 
and  without  him  was  not  anything  made  that  was 
made."  John  i.  3.  This  is  the  Being  whom  angels 
escorted  into  heaven  as  our  Forerunner,  bearing 
thither  our  own  human  nature,  in  vital  union  with 


PSALM   XXIV.  315 

his  own  Divine  nature,  to  the  end  that  he  might  be, 
not  only  a  mighty,  but  also  a  sympathizing  Saviour — 
a  Saviour  understanding  by  experience,  every  feeling 
in  the  human  heart.  He  was  escorted  to  heaven  by 
angels,  and  welcomed  by  the  same. 

And  now,  beloved  reader,  it  will  be  all  our  own 
faidt,  if  we  are  not  escorted  in  the  same  way,  and 
welcomed  in  the  same  manner.  Lazarus  was  so  es- 
corted, and  so  welcomed.  Following  the  example  of 
the  Saviour  in  holiness  and  pureness  of  living;  being 
such  as  the  man  described  in  the  fourth  verse  of  this 
psalm,  we  shall  enter  heaven  as  the  Saviour  entered 
it.  Angels,  who  are  ministering  spirits  sent  forth  to 
minister  to  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation, 
hasten — when  the  soul  of  a  believer  in  Jesus  leaves 
his  body — hasten  with  it  to  the  celestial  city,  and,  as 
they  approach  its  entrance,  raise  the  cry,  "Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlast- 
ing doors,"  and  a  ransomed  soul  shall  come  in.  In 
this  way  "the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return, 
and  come  to  Zion  with  songs,  and  everlasting  joy 
upon  their  heads:"  in  this  way  they  obtain  joy  and 
gladness,  sorrow  and  sighing  fleeing  away.  Tsa. 
XXXV.  10.  Nor  are  they  welcomed  by  angels  only. 
The  King  of  glory  himself  also  welcomes  them  to  an 
everlasting  inheritance  of  joys,  such  as  eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  have  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man  to  conceive. 


316  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXV. 

Verse  1.     Unto  thee,  0  Lord,  do  I  lift  up  my  soul. 

This  psalm  is  supposed  to  describe  the  exercises  of 
the  believer,  suffering  under  the  chastening  hand  of 
God  for  sin.  For  some  open  transgression,  or  short- 
coming in  duty,  trouble  has  come  upon  him,  and  his 
mind  is  filled  with  misgivings.  He  knows,  however, 
that  none  but  the  One  who  has  sent  his  troubles  upon 
him,  can  remove  them.  Hence  the  cry,  "Unto  thee, 
O  Lord,  do  I  lift  up  my  soul."  It  matters  not  how 
sorely  the  believer  has  sinned,  nor  how  sorely  his 
conscience  is  burthened  with  a  sense  of  sin ;  God  is 
still  his  refuge.  He  knows  that  there  is  help  for 
him  nowhere  else,  and  he  seeks  it  nowhere  else. 
AVhen  troubles  come  upon  the  worldling,  on  account 
of  his  sins,  and  conscience  worries  him,  he  seeks 
relief,  not  in  God,  but  in  other  things;  often  in 
things  that  make  his  case  worse.  Not  so  the  be- 
liever— he  at  once  lifts  up  his  soul  to  God  in  peni- 
tence and  prayer.  His  weakness  teaches  him  that 
there  is  no  help  for  him  in  man,  nor  in  anything  that 
man  can  do  for  him.  His  every  thought  of  dehver- 
ance,  therefore,  centres  in  God  alone. 

Verse  2.     0  my  God,  I  trust  in  thee:  let  me  not  be  ashamed; 
let  not  mine  enemies  triumph  over  me. 

The  psalmist's  appeal  to  God  in  this  verse  is  based 
upon  his  promises  made  to  faith ;  that  no  one  trusting 
in  him,  should  fail  of  his  help.  "Let  me  not  be 
ashamed" — let  not  the  hope  inspired  by  thy  promises 
be  disappointed:  "let  not  mine  enemies,"  whether 
external  or  internal,    "triumph   over  me."     There 


PSALM   XXV.  317 

are  times  in  the  believer's  history,  when  temptation 
without  and  corruption  within,  so  weaken  and  worry 
him,  that  he  needs,  to  sustain  him,  to  recall  all  the 
promises  made  to  fiiith.  "I  had  fainted,"  says  David, 
in  another  place,  "  unless  I  had  believed  to  see  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living." 
Ps.  xxvii.  13. 

Verse  3.     Yea,  let  none  that  wait  on  tliee  be  ashamed:  let  them 
be  ashamed  which  transgress  without  cause. 

David  here  pleads  God's  fidelity  to  his  promises, 
not  for  himself  only,  but  for  all  who  wait  on  him  in 
faith,  and  hope,  and  prayer.  AVhat  the  believer  asks 
for  himself,  he  desires  for  all.  He  who  prays  for 
none  but  himself,  offers  an  unheard  prayer.  True 
prayer  embraces  the  whole  Israel  of  God  in  the  fervour 
of  its  desires.  It  cannot  endure  the  thought  that 
any  waiting  npon  God  in  the  ways  of  his  appoint- 
ment shonld  fail  of  his  help.  An  ingenuons  piety 
can  desire  that  the  hopes  of  none  be  disappointed  but 
of  those  whose  influence  is  calculated  to  subvert 
truth  and  righteousness  in  the  earth — the  hopes  of 
those  who  transgress  without  cause.  There  are  such 
persons  in  the  earth — persons  who  mock  at  sin,  and 
glory  in  it.  David  prays,  as  every  Christian  may 
pray,  that  the  hopes  of  such  may  be  disappointed, 
and  they  covered  with  shame.  He  thus  prays  that 
God  may  "discern  between  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked,  between  him  that  serveth  God,  and  him  that 
serveth  him  not." 
Verse  4.     Show  me  thy  ways,  0  Lord;  teach  me  thy  paths. 

The  ways  which  David  desires  to  be  shown,  and 
the  paths  to  be  taught,  are  the  ways  and  paths  of  the 
Divine  deliverance  out  of  his  present  troubles.     He 
27* 


318  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

desires  to  be  shown  the  way  in  which  God  would 
have  him  go  to  escape  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
now  suiTounding  him.  His  example  in  this  respect 
is  worthy  of  our  imitation.  When  trials  come  upon 
us,  we  are  in  danger  of  resorting  to  improper  modes 
of  escaping  them.  Then  it  is  that  we  need  the  in- 
tervention of  infinite  wisdom.  There  is  always  a 
best  mode  of  meeting  and  overcoming  evil,  and  God 
alone  can  show  it  to  us.  This  he  does  by  the  order- 
ings  of  his  providence,  the  teachings  of  his  word,  or 
the  operations  of  his  Spirit.  And  when  he  has 
shown  us  what  we  must  regard  His  mode  of  rescu- 
ing us,  we  should  pursue  it,  regardless  of  earthly 
consequences.  It  is  for  the  revelation  of  the  Divine 
mode  of  rescuing  him  that  David  prays,  "  Show  me 
thy  ways,  O  Lord;  teach  me  thy  paths." 

Verse  5.     Lead  me  in  thy  truth,  and  teach  me;  for  thou  art  the 
God  of  my  salvation;  on  thee  do  I  wait  all  the  day. 

"Thy  truth" — the  truth  of  God  manifested  in  the 
fulfilment  of  his  promises.  David  desires  to  experi- 
ence that  truth  at  the  present  time,  to  know  and  feel 
that  God  had  undertaken  for  him  in  the  troubles 
now  upon  him.  "  For  thou  art  the  God  of  my  sal- 
vation." David's  only  hope  of  deliverance  was  in 
God's  faithfulness  to  his  word  of  promise.  The 
import  of  his  conduct  is,  "Thou  hast  spoken — I 
believe."  "On  thee  do  I  wait  all  the  day."  David's 
faith  in  God  was  unremitting.  Its  constancy  is 
pleaded  as  a  reason  why  its  exercise  should  be 
rewarded.  It  is  an  exercise  of  faith  that  God  never 
fails  to  reward. 

Verse  6.     Remember,  0  Lord,  thy  tender  mercies,  and  thy  lov- 
ing-kindnesses; for  they  have  been  ever  of  old. 

It  is  well  for  us  in  seasons  of  trial  to  remember 


PSALM    XXV.  319 

that  God's  property  is  always  to  have  mercy.  This 
Davicl  does  here.  He  pleads  God  to  himself:  asks 
him  to  remember  that  tender  mercies  and  loving- 
kindnesses  are  attributes  of  his  nature,  eternal  and 
unchangeable.  Such  is  the  privilege  of  the  believer: 
to  fall  back,  in  the  day  of  evil,  upon  what  God  is  in 
himself — eternal  love.  What  a  thought  to  allay  the 
disquietudes  of  the  heart,  and  inspire  it  with  hope. 
God  to  the  believer  is  an  infinite  Fountan  of  mercies 
and  kindnesses — '-'■  tender  mercies,  and  loving-kind- 
nesses," that  "have  been  ever  of  old." 

Verse  7.  Remember  not  the  sins  of  my  youth,  nor  my  trans- 
gressions :  according  to  thy  mercy  remember  thou  me,  for  thy 
goodness'  sake,  0  Lord. 

Still  pleading  his  own  mercy  and  goodness  with 
God,  as  the  great  motive  power  to  engage  him  in  his 
deliverance,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  his  mercy  that 
David  prays  God  not  to  remember  the  sins  of  his 
youth.  Sins  of  our  youth  are  drafts  for  whose  pay- 
ment we  will  be  called  upon  in  after  years.  God 
alone  can  arrest  their  entailment  of  wo.  And  it  is 
well  for  us  that  his  mercy  moves  him  to  it.  Other- 
wise there  is  not  one  of  us,  thefolhes  of  whose  youth 
would  not  send  the  Divine  vengeance  chasing  us 
through  life,  and  out  of  life.  Moreover,  merciful  as 
he  is,  God  forgives  only  the  moral  penalties  of  our 
youthful  follies:  their  physical  and  natural  penalties 
are  left  to  run  their  course.  The  Divine  pardon 
restores  to  the  penitent  man  the  favour  of  God  which 
the  sins  of  his  youth  had  lost  him,  but  not  his  health 
and  fortune.  For  God  then  not  to  remember  the 
sins  of  our  youth,  is  not  to  inflict  their  moral  penalty. 

Verse  8.  Good  and  upright  is  the  Lord :  therefore  will  he  teach 
sinners  in  the  way. 


320  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

This  David  says  to  increase  his  faith  and  add 
fervour  to  his  prayers.  Though  his  people  are  still 
sinners,  coming  short  in  many  things,  God,  never- 
theless, commiserates  their  condition.  He  is  more 
grieved  than  offended  at  their  failures,  and  still 
teaches  them,  being  penitent,  the  way  wherein  they 
should  go.  Thus  he  grieved  over  the  apathy  of  the 
three  disciples  on  the  night  of  his  agony  in  the  gar- 
den, blending  apology  with  reproof  and  warning, 
saying,  "Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into 
temptation ;  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh 
is  weak."  Matt.  xxvi.  41.  So  good  and  so  upright 
is  the  Lord  in  teaching  his  people  the  way. 

Verse  9.  The  meek  will  he  guide  in  judgment^  and  the  meek  will 
he  teach  his  way. 

"The  meek"  of  this  verse  shows  what  sort  of  sin- 
ners are  meant  in  the  preceding  verse :  that  they  are 
sinners  of  a  broken  heart  and  contrite  spirit,  such  as 
meekly  endure  the  chastening  hand  of  God,  con- 
scious of  suffering  far  less  than  their  sins  deserve. 
Such  sinners,  meekly  enduring  his  visitations,  God 
guides  in  wisdom,  and,  in  time,  to  quietness  and 
safety. 

Verse  10.     All  the  paths  of  the  Lord  are  mercy  and  truth  unto 
such  as  keep  his  covenant  and  his  testimonies. 

He  SO  administers  his  kingdom,  both  of  pro\'idence 
and  grace,  that  all  things  are  made  to  work  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  him.  Rom.  viii.  28.  As 
they  identify  themselves  with  him  in  promoting 
truth  and  righteousness,  he  identifies  himself  with 
them  in  causing  everything  that  befalls  them  to  pro- 
mote their  final  welfare.  This  is  the  believer's  solace 
under  trials.  The  favour  of  God  converts  them  into 
blessings. 


PSALM   XXV.  321 

Verse  11.  For  thy  name's  sake,  0  Lord,  pardon  mine  iniquity; 
for  it  is  great. 

It  seems  a  strange  reason  to  plead  for  the  pardon 
of  one's  iniquity,  that  it  is  great.  In  human  courts 
it  is  pleaded  as  the  great  reason  why  it  should  not 
be  forgiven.  Its  magnitude  renders  it  more  unpar- 
donable. It  is  otherwise  with  the  sinner,  being  peni- 
tent, standing  in  the  presence  of  his  Judge.  There 
the  greatness  of  his  iniquity  may  be  pleaded  as  an 
argument  for  its  remission.  The  greater  the  sin,  if 
unforgiven,  the  greater  the  ruin.  This  seems  to  be 
David's  thought  in  the  words,  "For  thy  name's  sake, 
O  Lord,  pardon  mine  iniquity;  for  it  is  great." 
"Avert,  O  Lord,  the  awful  ruin  in  which  such  ini- 
quity as  mine,  if  unforgiven,  must  involve  me."  It 
is  a  legitimate  appeal  to  the  Divine  mercy,  and  one 
that  reflects  honour  upon  it.  It  is  like  to  the  appeals 
so  often  made  to  our  Lord — the  violence  of  the  dis- 
ease and  sufferings  being  pleaded  as  the  great  reason 
why  he  should  interpose  to  heal  and  save. 

Verse  12, 13.  What  man  is  he  that  fcareth  the  Lord?  him  shall 
he  teach  in  the  way  he  shall  choose :  his  soul  shall  dwell  at 
ease,  and  his  seed  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

David  here  encourages  himself  still  to  hope  for 
Divine  deliverance,  because  of  the  Lord's  regard  for 
those  that  fear  him.  "  For  like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him," 
(Psalm  ciii.  13,)  and  their  children  too,  for  their 
sakes.  It  is  useful,  in  seasons  of  discouragement,  to 
reflect  that  God  can  never  finally  forsake  those  who 
fear  him.  He  will  in  due  time  choose  out  for  us  the 
way  wherein  he  would  have  us  go,  and  make  it  a 
way  of  peace  and  quietness. 

Verse  14.  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him; 
and  he  will  show  them  his  covenant. 


S2Z  LECTURES  ON  HIE  PSALMS. 

Critics  tell  us  that  the  word  "  secret"  here  means 
frienclsliip;  that  the  friendship  of  the  Lord  is  with 
them  that  fear  him.  "Henceforth,"  says  our  Lord 
to  his  disciples,  "I  call  you  not  servants,  for  the  ser- 
vant knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth;  but  I  have 
called  you  friends ;  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard 
of  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you."  John  xv. 
So  when  about  to  destroy  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  the 
Lord  said,  "  shall  I  hide  from  Abraham  that  thing 
which  I  dof'  Gen.  xviii.  17.  It  is  not  as  servants, 
but  as  friends,  that  God  regards  those  who  serve  him 
in  singleness  of  heart  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son.  He 
has  nothing  to  conceal  from  them.  He  will  show 
them  his  covenant;  manifest  himself  to  them  as  a 
covenant-keeping  God;  show  them,  by  all  the  order- 
ings  of  his  providence,  that  he  never  forgets  them  for 
a  moment;  that  in  all  his  dealings  with  them  his 
covenant  of  mercy  is  never  for  a  moment  absent  from 
his  mind,  and  that  he  will  at  last  make  it  appear  so 
to  them. 

There  are  commentators,  however,  w^ho  refer  this 
verse,  not  to  the  external  orderings  of  the  Divine 
providence,  but  to  the  mental  assurance  which  God 
gives  those  that  fear  him,  of  the  truth  of  his  word, 
and  the  adequacy  of  the  religion  it  reveals,  to  satisfy 
the  wants  of  the  soul.  This  mental  assurance,  wrought 
into  the  soul  by  God  himself,  is  thought  by  some  to 
be  the  secret  of  the  Lord  here  intended.  The  Saviour 
is  believed  to  refer  to  this  secret  assurance  in  the 
words,  "  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know 
of  the  doctrine  whether  it  be  of  God."  John  vii.  17. 
The  Jews  had  denied  the  Divine  reality  of  his  mira- 
cles, and  also  that  the  Messianic  prophecies  had  been 
verified  in  him.     "Very  well,"  answers  our  Lord,  "I 


PSALM  XXV.  323 

propose  to  you  another  means  of  testing  my  claim  to 
be  your  Messiah  and  Saviour.  Practise  the  precepts 
of  the  reUgion  I  teach  you,  and  you  shall  soon  have 
revealed  to  you  the  secret  whether  it  be  of  God. 
Do  his  will,  and  you  shall  know  of  the  doctrine.  In 
obeying  the  precept,  all  else  shall  become  plain."  I 
knew,  and  admitted  to  the  communion  of  the  church, 
a  gentleman  who  acted  upon  this  saying  of  the 
Saviour.  He  admired,  as  perfect,  the  preceptive  por- 
tions of  the  Bible;  but  stumbled  at  some  of  its  pecu- 
liar doctrines.  He  determined,  therefore,  to  ascer- 
tain what  effect  obeying  the  precepts  would  have 
toward  dissipating  his  difficulties  in  regard  to  the 
doctrines  of  our  religion.  He,  therefore,  at  once 
endeavoured  to  live  in  every  respect  as  he  would 
have  lived  if  he  had  been  a  Christian ;  reading,  pray- 
ing, attending  public  worship,  and  making  the  moral 
code  of  the  Bible  his  only  rule  of  action.  So  obeying 
the  precept,  in  less  than  a  twelve  months'  time  the 
secret  of  the  Lord  was  revealed  to  him,  the  truth  of 
all  the  doctrines  of  God's  covenant  of  redeeming 
mercy  in  Christ,  was  made  plain  to  his  understand- 
ing and  grateful  to  his  heart.  Here  is  a  cure  for 
scepticism  within  the  reach  of  every  man !  His  mind 
may  be  filled  with  difficulties  in  regard  to  every- 
thing else  in  the  Bible,  in  regard  to  its  history,  its 
miracles,  its  prophecies,  and  doctrines;  still,  if  he 
will  endeavour  honestly  and  perseveringly,  to  prac- 
tise its  precepts,  live  according  to  its  moral  code,  his 
difficulties  will  vanish  one  by  one,  till  none  remain. 
And  the  man  who  will  not  test  the  truth  of  our  reli- 
gion in  this  way,  cannot  honestly  say  that  he  desires 
to  be  satisfied  of  its  truth  and  connection  with  his 
own  destiny. 


3g4  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Verse  15.     Mine  eyes  are  ever  toward  the  Lord;  for  he  shall 
pluck  my  feet  out  of  the  net. 

David  realizes  that  there  is  a  deliverance  for  him 

in  only  one  direction,  and  in  that  direction  he  keeps 

his  eyes  continually  turned  toward  the  Lord,  fully 

believing  that  he  would  pluck  his  feet  out  of  the  net 

which  his  enemies  had  spread  for  them. 

Verse  16.  Turn  thee  unto  me,  and  have  mercy  upon  me;  for  I 
am  desolate  and  afflicted. 

Here  again  he  feels  like  one  alone  in  the  earth, 
desolate  and  afflicted.  Still  his  faith  fails  not,  but 
finds  utterance  in  the  words,  "  Turn  thee  unto  me,  O 
Lord,  and  have  mercy  upon  me." 

Verse  17.  The  troubles  of  my  heart  are  enlarged;  0  bring  thou 
me  out  of  my  distresses. 

How  like  a  child  pleading  with  his  father!     The 

Psalmist  knows  that  nothing  else  goes  so  quickly  to 

the  heart  of  a  parent  as  the  sorrows  of  a  child,  and 

he  believes  the  same  of  Him  whom  he  has  chosen  as 

the  portion  of  his  soul. 

Verse  18.     Look  upon  my  affliction  and  my  pain;  and  forgive 
all  my  sins. 

Still  the  child's  cry  to  his  parent,  appealing  to  his 

pity.     Here,  howe^^er,  he  prays  for  the  removal  of 

the  remote  and  efficient,  if  not  the  immediate,  cause 

of  all   troubles — his    sins.     "Forgive    all   my  sins." 

When  trouble  comes  on  us  we  cannot  bethink  us  too 

soon  of  our  sins.     If  they  are  pardoned,  the  troubles 

they  brouglit  on  us  will  depart  with  them,  or,  if  the 

troubles  still  remain,  can  be  easily  borne.    The  sweet 

sense  of  sins  forgiven  renders  the  heaviest  afflictions 

light. 

Verse  19.  Consider  mine  enemies,  for  they  are  many;  and  they 
hate  me  with  cruel  hatred. 

It  is  strange  that  obeying  the  truth  should  make  a 


PSALM   XXV.  g25 

man  enemies.  But  oftentimes  the  closer  a  man 
walks  with  God,  the  more  numerous,  and  the  more 
violent  his  enemies  are.  Under  such  circumstances, 
an  appeal  to  the  God  of  truth  to  defend  us,  cannot  be 
made  in  vain. 

Verse  20.     0  keep  my  soul,  and  deliver  me;  let  me  not  be 
ashamed;  for  I  put  my  trust  in  thee. 

That  we  have  put  our  trust  in  him  is  an  argument 

that  can  never  fail  to  engage  the  Almighty  on  our 

side.     His  word  has  passed,  that  no  one  trusting  in 

him  shall  ever  be  confounded.     Heaven  and  earth 

shall  pass  away,  but  his  word  of  promise — never. 

Verse  21.     Let  integrity  and  uprightness  preserve  me;  for  I 
wait  on  thee. 

David  here  prays  that  however  unjustly  men  may 
treat  him,  he  may  not  be  betrayed  into  any  sin 
against  them.  In  this  aspiration  he  is  encouraged, 
because  he  waits  on  God,  waits  for  him  to  deliver 
him  in  his  own  time  and  way. 
Verse  22.     Eedeem  Israel,  0  God,  out  of  all  his  troubles. 

If  David  wrote  this  psalm,  as  some  suppose,  dur- 
ing Absalom's  rebellion — a  visitation  upon  the  father, 
for  his  grievous  sins  in  the  matter  of  Uriah — this 
prayer,  "  Redeem  Israel,  O  God,  out  of  all  his  trou- 
bles," forms  a  most  appropriate  conclusion.  To  the 
truly  generous  and  godly  heart,  there  is  no  other 
thought  so  painful  as  the  thought  that  its  sins  have 
brought  trouble  upon  others.  This  was  David's 
case.  His  sins  had  brought  trouble  on  the  nation, 
and  he  reckons  his  own  sorrows  as  nothing,  when 
compared  with  the  sorrows  of  so  many  innocent  suf- 
ferers. Hence  the  earnestness  with  which  he  prays 
God  to  redeem  Israel  out  of  all  the  troubles  in 
which  his  sins  had  involved  them.  Alas,  how  many 
28 


gap  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

of  US  pervert  others,  especially  in  our  youth,  for 
whose  restoration  to  purity  and  peace  we  would 
afterwards  give  worlds,  if  we  had  them  to  give.  May 
God,  through  his  infinite  mercy  in  Christ,  give  us 
all  grace  so  to  live  that  we  neither  ruin  ourselves  nor 
others. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXVL 

At  first  sight  no  two  psalms  could  be  more  antago- 
nistic to  each  other  in  their  teaching,  than  the 
twenty-fifth  and  twenty-sixth.  Nevertheless  they 
harmonize  entirely.  Each  presents  a  view  of  reli- 
gious experience  familiar  to  the  mind  of  the  believer. 
When  the  believer  thinks  of  his  sins,  even  those  of 
infirmity,  his  cry  for  deliverance  will  be  the  cry  of 
the  twenty-fifth  psalm,  a  cry  based  altogether  upon 
the  mercy  of  God.  When,  however,  he  is  unjustly 
treated  by  his  fellow-man,  and  thinks  of  his  cove- 
nant-relation to  God,  and  of  the  many  great  and 
precious  promises  God  has  made  to  those  serving 
him,  the  believer's  cry  will  then  be  the  cry  of  the 
twenty-sixth  psalm — a  cry  to  God  for  deliverance 
based  upon  the  fact  of  his  being  His  servant,  obeying 
him  from  the  heart.  The  juxtaposition  of  these 
two  psalms  was  not  without  design.  The  believer 
may  utter  the  cry  of  both  in  the  same  breath,  just 
according  as  he  thinks  of  God  as  dispensing  mercy 
to  the  guilty,  or  as  rewarding  obedience.  "The 
contents  of  the  one  psalm,"  says  another,  "supple- 


PSALM   XXVI.  32t 

ment  those  of  the  other.  In  the  one  psalm,  the  suf- 
fering righteous  man  is  directed  to  seek  refuge  in  the 
Divine  compassion,  which  secures  forgiveness  for 
manifold  sins  of  infirmity :  in  the  other,  again,  he  is 
led,  from  a  consideration  of  the  Divine  righteous- 
ness, which  must  make  a  distinction  between  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked,  to  entertain  the  firm  hope 
of  deliverance.  We  have,  therefore,  before  us  a  pair 
of  psalms,  which  point  to  the  compassion  and  right- 
eousness of  God,  as  the  two  foundations  on  which  the 
Lord's  people  may  rest  a  confident  hope  of  deliver- 
ance. The  two  are  connected,  as  it  were,  by  a 
bridge ;  the  idea  which  occupied  a  subordinate  posi- 
tion near  the  conclusion  of  the  one  psalm,  being 
brought  prominently  forward,  and  having  the  first 
place  assigned  to  it  in  the  other:"  viz.  the  idea  that 
innocency,  integrity,  and  trust  in  God,  can  never  fail 
to  secure  his  favour  and  protection.  This  is  the 
thought  of  our  psalm,  and  the  thought  to  which 
David  gives  utterance  in  the  words, 

Verse  1.  Judge  me,  0  Lord;  for  I  have  walked  in  mine  integ- 
rity: I  have  trusted  also  in  the  Lord;  therefore  I  shall  not 
slide. 

If  our  heart  condemn  us  not,  then  have  we  confi- 
dence toward  God,  and  may  appeal  to  him  to  vindi- 
cate the  cause  we  have  in  hand.  This  was  David's 
case.  Driven  into  exile  by  the  persecutions  of  Saul, 
and  charged  with  plotting  against  his  throne  and  life, 
he  here  a^eals  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts  to  vindicate 
his  innocence.  David's  "Judge  me,  O  Lord,"  is  not 
a  call  upon  God  to  judge  him  for  the  sins  that  he 
may  have  committed  against  Him,  his  God,  but  to 
judge  him  for  the  sins  he  was  charged  with  having 
committed  against  Saul,  his  king.     It  would  be  mad- 


328  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

ness  in  any  man,  however  blameless  his  life  may 
have  been,  to  call  upon  God  to  enter  into  judgment 
with  him  for  his  offences  against  him.  It  is,  how- 
ever, often  otherwise  in  regard  to  many  of  our  fellow- 
men.  We  can  safely  invite  the  Omniscient  Judge  to 
decide  between  us  and  them.  "We  can  say  in  regard 
to  them,  as  David  does,  "Judge  me,  O  Lord;  for  I 
have  walked  in  mine  integrity."  Though  Saul  sought 
David's  life,  and  once  with  his  own  hand  hurled  a 
javelin  at  him  to  slay  him,  David  never  for  a  moment 
swerved  from  the  conduct  of  a  dutiful  subject.  He 
still  fought  Saul's  battles  for  him,  and,  though  Saul 
was  pursuing  him  as  an  outlaw,  spared  him  when  it 
was  in  his  power  to  slay  him.  1  Sam.  xxiv.  He 
never  raised  his  hand  against  his  king,  nor  allowed 
those  under  his  control  to  do  so.  Integrity  had 
marked  his  whole  conduct  towards  him,  insomuch 
that  Saul  himself  was  obliged  to  acknowledge,  in 
tears,  "thou  art  more  righteous  than  I;  for  thou  hast 
rewarded  me  good,  whereas  I  have  rewarded  thee 
evil."  1  Sam.  xxiv.  17.  So  should  it  be  with  the 
believer  always.  He  should  never  allow  the  injustice 
of  others  to  mar  his  integrity,  to  cause  him  to  deviate 
in  the  least  from  the  line  of  conduct  dictated  by  a 
divinely  enlightened  conscience.  Principle,  not  pas- 
sion, should  be  the  pole-star  of  his  course.  But 
what  was  the  secret  of  David's  preserving  his  integ- 
rity intact,  in  the  midst  of  his  sore  trials  and  tempta- 
tions'? He  reveals  it  in  the  words,  "I  h*ve  trusted 
also  in  the  Lord;  therefore  I  shall  not  slide;"  or, 
"  that  I  may  not  slide."  It  was  not  by  his  own  power 
that  David  expected  to  sustain  himself  in  his  integ- 
rity, but  by  faith  in  God.  He  knew  that  his  own 
unaided  strength  would  certainly  fail  him.   He  there- 


PSALM  XXVI.  329 

fore  looks  to  God  to  enable  him  to  stand.  He  thus 
teaches  us  that  moral  principle  and  human  resolve 
are  worthless  in  the  day  of  trial,  where  they  are  not 
animated  by  a  fervid  trust  in  God.  Religion  alone 
can  make  moral  principle  strong,  or  bring  human 
resolve  to  good  effect.  It  was  the  only  thing  that 
enabled  David  to  walk  in  integrity  towards  man, 
and  in  piety  towards  God,  and  to  say,  "Judge  me,  O 
Lord,"  with  the  confident  expectation  that  in  judg- 
ing between  him  and  his  enemies,  God  would  vindi- 
cate him. 

Verse  2.     Examine  me,  0  Lord,  and  prove  me;  try  my  reins 
and  my  heart. 

So  conscious  is  David  of  never  having  even  in- 
tended evil  against  Saul,  that  he  calls  upon  the 
Searcher  of  hearts  to  examine,  prove,  and  try  him; 
and  to  carry  the  scrutiny  into  every  thought  and 
feeling  of  his  heart.  He  was  conscious  of  many 
failures  in  duty  to  God,  and  elsewhere  deplores  them, 
but  of  no  failures  in  duty  to  Saul.  This  should  be 
the  aim  of  every  believer,  to  cherish  towards  all 
men,  even  towards  enemies,  feelings  such  as  he  would 
not  fear  to  have  pass  under  the  Omniscient  eye. 
Hence  David's  prayer  in  another  place,  "  Search  me, 
O  God,  and  know  my  heart;  try  me,  and  know  my 
thoughts ;  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me, 
and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting."  Psalm  cxxxix, 
23,  24.  The  believer  should  be  willing  to  have  the 
Lord  see  all  the  evil,  as  well  as  all  the  good  that  is 
in  him,  that  he  may  strengthen  the  one  and  destroy 
the  other. 

Verse  3.     For  thy  loving-kindness  is  before  mine  eyes;  and  I 
have  walked  in  thy  truth. 

It  was  by  keeping  his  mind  continually  upon  the 
28* 


330  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

love  of  God,  and  upon  his  truth,  the  faithfulness  of 
his  promises  made  to  faith  and  holy  obedience,  that 
David  was  emboldened  to  challenge  the  Divine  deci- 
sion in  his  case.  It  was  his  past  experience  of  the 
love  and  faithfulness  of  God  that  made  him  fear  no 
evil  now.  He  was  satisfied  that,  having  been  so 
loving  and  so  true  to  him  in  all  times  past,  he  would 
still  be  to  him  what  he  had  been.  Under  the  pres- 
sure of  present  troubles,  we  are  apt  to  forget  God's 
former  dealings  with  us.  We  lose  sight  of  his  for- 
mer loving-kindnesses,  and  the  unfailing  faitlifulness 
with  which  he  has  fulfilled  his  every  promise  of  good 
to  us.     It  was  not  so  with  David. 

Verse  4.     I  Lave  not  sat  with  vain  persons,  neither  will  I  go  in 
with  dissemblers. 

It  was  one  of  the  charges  preferred  against  David 
by  Saul,  that  he  had  associated  himself  with  a  band 
of  worthless  and  disaffected  subjects,  and  those  seek- 
ing his  overthrow,  while  pretending  to  be  his  friends. 
This  charge  David  denies — saying  that  he  had  not, 
and  would  not  associate  with  any  such  persons.  And 
his  history  shows  that  he  spoke  the  truth.  We  can*: 
not  too  carefully  avoid  the  society  of  the  vain  and 
dissembling.  We  may  mingle  with  them,  as  the 
Saviour  did,  to  do  them  good,  but  we  make  com- 
panions of  them  at  our  peril.  If  we  enjoy  their 
society  for  its  own  sake,  it  is  proof  that  we  are  no 
better  than  they.  The  truly  gracious  mind  can  have 
no  moral  sympathy  with  any  but  those  who  are 
governed  by  a  sincere  love  of  truth. 

Verse  5.     I  have  hated  the  congregation  of  evil  doers;  and  will 
not  sit  with  the  wicked. 

David  not  only  did  not  sympathize  with  the  spirit, 
nor  co-operate  in  the  plans,  of  the  treacherous  and 


PSALM  XXVI.  831 

seditious,  but  he  hated  their  meetings,  and  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  their  secret  conclaves.  Saul 
could  not  point  to  a  single  act  of  his  life  where  his 
influence  over  the  wicked  had  not  been  for  good. 
Although  when  he  was  driven  into  exile,  every  one 
that  was  in  distress,  and  every  one  that  was  in  debt, 
and  every  one  that  was  discontented,  gathered  them- 
selves together  unto  him,  and  he  became  a  captain 
over  them,  (1  Sam.  xxii.  2,)  he  never  led  them 
against  his  king  and  country,  but  only  against  their 
enemies;  and  in  time  changed  the  most  reckless  and 
turbulent  of  men  into  the  best  of  soldiers  and  citi- 
zens. There  is  no  place  where  the  sincere  Christian 
cannot  make  his  influence  felt  for  good;  in  the  army, 
in  the  navy,  in  trade,  at  the  bar,  on  the  bench,  in  the 
halls  of  legislation,  and  everywhere;  not  by  sacri- 
ficing, but  by  maintaining  and  exhibiting  his  princi- 
ples in  his  spirit  and  conduct.  There  is  a  something 
in  humble,  sincere  and  uniform  piety  to  which  the 
rudest  do  homage. 

Verses  6,  7.  I  will  wash  my  hands  in  innocencyj  so  will  I  com- 
pass thine  altar,  0  Lord :  that  I  may  publish  with  the  voice 
of  thanksgiving,  and  tell  of  all  thy  wondrous  works. 

It  was  not  to  the  assemblies  of  the  wicked,  and 
the  shedding  of  blood,  as  his  enemies  said  of  him, 
that  David's  temper  of  mind  bore  him,  but  to  the 
altar  of  his  God,  there  to  proclaim,  with  thanks- 
giving, the  many  mercies  and  deliverances  he  had 
experienced  at  his  hands.  With  pure  hands  too, 
with  hands  washed  in  innocency,  he  would  make  his 
offering.  His  conscience  was  at  ease,  his  heart  at 
rest.  He  was  conscious  of  a  state  of  mind  towards 
God  and  man,  utterly  incompatible  with  the  things 
laid  to  his  charge.     It  is  well  for  us  when  we  can 


332  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

engage  in  the  service  of  God  with  a  clear  conscience, 
accusing  us  of  no  sin  habitually  indulged,  and  of  no 
duty  habitually  neglected.  "The  sacrifice  of  the 
wicked  is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord;  but  the 
prayer  of  the  upright  is  his  delight."  Prov.  xv.  8. 
It  was  this  last  fact,  the  Divine  delight  in  the  prayer 
of  the  upright,  of  those  endeavouring  to  serve  him  in 
singleness  and  purity  of  heart,  that  enabled  David  to 
lay  hold  of  the  sin-atoning  altar  of  God  with  so  firm 
a  hand,  with  so  thankful  a  heart,  and  with  a  mouth 
so  full  of  praise.  Conscious  sincerity  and  integrity 
of  purpose  is  the  only  thing  that  will  enable  us  to 
come  boldly  to  a  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain 
mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need. 

Verse  8.     Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  house,  and 
the  place  where  thine  honour  dwelleth. 

It  mattered  not  where  David  was,  there  was  one 
place  to  which,  above  all  others,  his  heart  still  turned 
with  longing.  That  place  was  the  habitation  of  God's 
house.  Wherever  the  tabernacle  was,  there  was  the 
spiritual  centre  of  the  nation,  to  which  the  heart  of 
every  devout  Jew  was  attracted,  as  the  needle  is 
attracted  to  the  pole.  He  there  saw  the  glory  of  God 
as  he  saw  it  nowhere  else.  There  was  the  written 
word,  to  direct  him  in  the  way  wherein  he  should 
go ;  there  was  the  altar,  streaming  with  blood,  and 
smoking  with  incense,  proclaiming  his  God  to  be 
both  a  placable  and  a  prayer-hearing  God ;  there  too 
was  the  mercy-seat  in  the  holy  of  holies,  over- 
shadowed by  the  cherubim,  from  between  whom, 
manifesting  his  presence  by  a  luminous  cloud,  God 
still  made  communications  of  his  will,  in  cases  of 
doubt  and  difiiculty.  This  was  the  place  that  David 
loved,  and  to  which  his  heart  turned  in  his  exile,  not- 


PSALM  XXVI.  333 

withstanding  his  enemies  had  charged  him  with  being 
an  enemy  of  God  and  of  his  rehgion.  This  was  the 
place  of  which  he  says  elsewhere,  "  My  soul  longeth, 
yea,  even  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord."  Ps. 
Ixxxiv.  2.  It  is  a  most  gratifying  evidence  of  our 
being  children  of  God,  when  we  love  the  places  hal- 
lowed by  his  presence — the  sanctuary,  the  family 
altar,  and  the  closet.  The  more  of  God  there  is  in 
any  place  or  thing,  the  more  strongly  the  sincere 
beUever  is  attracted  to  it.  Regenerating  grace  can 
never  fail  to  make  us  delight  in  the  word  and  wor- 
ship of  God,  in  public  and  in  private,  and  to  realize 
his  presence  everywhere.  David  could  worship  him, 
in  all  the  ways  of  his  appointment,  only  at  Jerusalem. 
We  can  worship  him  everywhere.  The  tabernacle 
of  our  worship  is  wherever  Christ  is ;  and  where  is 
he  nof?  He  is  the  substance,  of  which  the  taberna- 
cle of  David's  worship  was  only  a  shadow.  Unto 
him  we  can  continually  betake  ourselves,  as  our 
altar,  our  sacrifice,  our  Priest;  and  also  as  the  Divine 
One,  whose  voice  issued  from  between  the  cherubim 
above  the  mercy-seat. 

Verse  9.     Gather  not  my  soul  with  sinners,  nor  my  life  with 
bloody  men. 

David,  so  far  from  conspiring  with  the  wicked  to 

dethrone  his  king,  desires  to  have  nothing  whatever 

to  do  with  them,  either  in  this  world,  or  in  the  world 

to  come.    "  Gather  not  my  soul  with  sinners."    These 

words  are  full  of  startling  thought.    The  idea  of  being 

shut  up  for  ever  with  all  the  outcasts  of  earth,  is  a 

terrible  one.     This,  however,  is  the  doom  of  every 

man  who  dies  without  an  interest  in  the  blood  of 

atonement.     He  may  have  been  deficient  in  only  a 

single  thing — faith  in  the  Son  of  God — still  that 


334  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

deficiency  will  consign  him  to  the  everlasting  com- 
panionship of  all  of  earth's  vile  and  worthless,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  time.  We  can  choose 
our  society  in  this  world,  but  not  in  the  world  to 
come.  If  we  die  in  our  sins,  damned  spirits  will  be 
our  only  society;  nor  they  only,  but  devils  also. 
You  recollect  the  Saviour's  words  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, to  those  on  his  left  hand,  "Depart,  ye  cursed, 
into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angels."  How  awful  the  thought! — if  I  fail  to  believe 
on  Christ,  my  only  society  in  the  world  to  come  will 
be  devils  and  damned  spirits.  Who  would  not,  in 
view  of  the  possibility  of  such  a  doom,  pray,  with 
David,  "Gather  not  my  soul  with  sinners''^  How 
different  will  be  the  society  of  the  soul  that  has  fled 
for  refuge  from  the  wrath  to  come  to  the  cross  of 
Christ!  Its  everlasting  society  will  be  angels  and 
archangels,  and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect. 

Verse  10.     In  whose  hands  is  miscliief,  and  their  right  hand  is 
full  of  bribes. 

David  describes,  in  these  words,  the  character  of 
the  sinners  with  whom  he  had  to  do.  Saul  not  only 
sought  his  life  with  his  own  hand,  but  bribed  others 
to  seek  it,  and  betray  him  into  his  power.  1  Sam. 
xxii.  6-19.  In  this  way  the  Jews  treated  the  Son  of 
David.  Failing  to  accomplish  his  death  themselves, 
they  at  last  bribed  one  of  his  own  disciples  to  betray 
him  into  their  hands.  It  is  strange  that  goodness 
should  have  always  met  with  such  treatment  at  the 
hands  of  the  world.  Many,  who  understand  not  the 
inveterate  wickedness  of  the  human  heart,  think  that 
virtue  only  needs  to  be  presented  in  her  own  beauti- 
ful colours,  to  be  loved  and  embraced  by  all.  So  an 
eminent  Scottish  divine  thought,  when,  after  depict- 


PSALM  xxvr.  335 

ing,  in  terms  of  glowing  eloquence,  the  moral  beauty 
and  amiability  of  virtue,  he  closed  with  the  following 
apostrophe:  "O  virtue,  if  thou  wert  embodied,  all 
men  would  love  thee."  His  colleague,  in  a  subse- 
quent part  of  the  same  day,  addressing  the  same  con- 
gregation, said:  "My  reverend  friend  observed,  in 
the  morning,  that  if  virtue  were  embodied,  all  men 
would  love  her.  Virtue  has  been  embodied  ;  but  how 
was  she  treated^  Did  all  men  love  her'?  No;  she 
was  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  who,  after  defam- 
ing, insulting,  and  scourging  her,  led  her  to  Calvary, 
where  they  crucified  her  between  two  thieves."  The 
world  love  not  to  have  perfect  virtue  presented  to 
them — it  reproves  their  sins  too  much.  We  all  have 
in  our  hearts,  by  nature,  the  wickedness  that  insti- 
gated Saul  to  persecute  David,  and  the  Jews  the  Son 
of  David.  "As  in  water  face  answereth  to  face,  so 
by  nature  the  heart  of  man  to  man." 

Verse  11.     But  as  for  me,  I  will  walk  in  mine  integrity;  redeem 
me,  and  be  merciful  unto  me. 

Whatever  evil  may  befall  him  at  the  hands  of  his 
enemies,  David  determines  that  he  will  not  depart 
from  his  integrity;  that  he  will  still  pursue  toward 
them  the  line  of  conduct  marked  out  for  him  by  the 
law  of  God;  that  he  will  not  return  evil  for  evil,  but 
contrariwise,  good.  We  have  reason  to  bless  God 
when  our  trials  strengthen  our  religious  princi- 
ples, and  confirm  us  in  our  purpose  to  lead  a  life  of 
holy  obedience.  "  Redeem  me,  and  be  merciful  to 
me."  Strong  as  David's  purpose  is  to  serve  God  in 
all  holiness  and  pureness  of  living,  he  still  flees  to 
the  Divine  mercy  as  his  only  hope  of  entering  heaven. 
It  has  been  objected  to  this  psalm  that  it  manifests  a 
spirit  of  self-righteousness.     It  is  not  so.     It  is  a 


336  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

simple  appeal  to  God,  as  a  God  of  righteousness,  who 
cannot  but  make  a  difference  between  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked.  The  righteousness  upon  which 
David  builds  his  assurance  of  deliverance  is  not  seJf- 
righteousness.  All  was  the  gift  of  grace,  wrought 
into  his  heart  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  and  manifested 
itself  in  his  life  through  the  help  of  the  same  Spirit. 
In  pleading  then,  his  sincerity  to  God,  his  innocency, 
his  fervid  love  for  the  service  of  God,  and  settled 
purpose  to  walk  in  his  ways,  David  was  only  plead- 
ing God's  own  work  of  grace  in  him,  and  he  could 
say,  as  heartily  as  St.  Paul  said  it,  "By  the  grace  of 
God  I  am  what  I  am."  It  was  not  the  human,  but 
the  Divine  in  him,  that  David  urges.  He  believes 
that  God  will  deliver  him,  because  he  himself  has 
made  him  what  he  is,  and  will  not  leave  his  work 
incomplete.     Surely,  this  is  not  self-righteousness. 

Verse  12.     My  foot  standeth  in  an  even  place :  in  the  congrega- 
tions will  I  bless  the  Lord. 

In  the  first  verse  of  our  psalm  David  says,  "  I  have 
trusted  also  in  the  Lord,  therefore  I  shall  not  slide," 
or,  therefore  may  I  not  slide;  and  here,  in  the  last 
verse,  he  proclaims  his  prayer  answered,  "  My  foot 
standeth  in  an  even  place."  He  is  no  longer  like 
to  one  walking  over  steep  and  slippery  places,  com- 
parable to  glaciers,  but  like  to  one  walking  in  the 
level  and  unobstructed  plain.  God  had  in  some  way 
given  him  the  assurance  that  the  hour  of  his  deliver- 
ance was  at  hand;  that  his  enemies  would  not  tri- 
umph over  him.  Nor  this  only — but  also  that  he 
would  be  restored  to  the  religious  privileges  from 
which  he  had  been  exiled.  Hence  his  words,  "  In 
the  congregations  will  I  bless  the  Lord,"  in  the  midst 
of  his  worshipping  people  praise  him  again  and  again 


PSALM  XXVII.  337 

for  his  mercies  to  me.  It  is  strange  with  what  feel- 
ings of  security  God  can  inspire  the  hearts  of  his 
people  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  dangers,  and  with 
what  certainty  of  deliverance !  David  had  appealed 
to  God  to  judge  between  him  and  his  enemies,  and 
the  case  has  been  decided,  as  he  hoped  and  believed 
it  would  be,  in  his  favour.  And  in  all  cases  of 
unjust  treatment  at  the  hands  of  others,  when  we 
can  point  to  such  facts  in  our  lives  to  prove  the  exist- 
ence of  grace  in  our  hearts,  we  may  make  the  same 
appeal  with  the  same  assurance  of  a  final  vindication. 
Such  facts  would  prove  us  to  be  children  of  God,  and 
as  such,  entitled  through  grace  to  his  fatherly  pro- 
tection. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXVIL 

Verse  1.  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation,  whom  shall  I 
fear  ?  the  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life,  of  whom  shall  I  be 
afraid  ? 

Having  his  hopes  stayed  upon  God,  it  is  the  privi- 
lege of  the  believer  to  feel  secure  in  the  midst  of  the 
greatest  dangers.  Nor  is  there  anything  unreason- 
able in  this  feeling  of  security  proceeding  from  con- 
fidence in  the  protection  of  God.  What  he  hath 
said  he  will  do,  when  faith  puts  any  saying  of  his  to 
the  test.  It  is  not  fanaticism,  but  the  highest  exer- 
cise of  reason,  to  trust  in  God  at  all  times  with  full 
assurance  of  faith.  It  was  not  the  privilege  of  David 
alone  to  say,  in  seasons  of  trouble  and  peril,  "The 
Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation,  whom  shall  I 
29 


338  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

fearl  the  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life,  of  whom 
shall  I  be  afraicH"  The  weakest  believer  in  Jesus  is 
privileged  to  say  the  same.  "The  Lord  is  my  light:" 
he  shows  me  the  way  wherein  I  should  go.  He  leaves 
me  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  path  of  duty.  He  shows  me 
the  dangers  that  threaten  me,  and  how  they  are  to  be 
escaped.  "  The  Lord  is  my  salvation."  I  look  to  no 
other  power  for  safety;  and  I  need  look  to  no  other, 
for  if  God  be  for  me,  who  or  what  can  be  against  me? 
"The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life."  He  not  only 
teaches  me  the  way  wherein  I  should  go,  and  pro- 
tects me  in  that  way,  but  he  strengthens  me  to  pur- 
sue it  to  the  end.  "  I  can  do  all  things,"  says  St. 
Paul,  "through  Christ,  which  strengtheneth  me." 
Philip,  iv.  13.  Trusting  in  Christ,  as  he  did,  I  can 
say  the  same.  Christ  then  so  strengthens  me  by  his 
grace,  that  I  can  defy  the  power  of  any  enemy  earth 
or  hell  can  send  against  me.  Christ  around  me,  with 
the  shield  of  his  power,  and  Christ  within  me,  by  the 
operations  of  his  grace,  surely  there  is  no  enemy  of 
whom  I  need  be  afraid ! 

Verse  2.     When  the  wicked,  even  mine  enemies  and  my  foes, 
came  upon  me  to  eat  up  my  flesh,  they  stumbled  and  fell. 

David  here  encourages  himself  in  God,  by  recur- 
ring to  what  he  had  experienced  at  his  hands  in 
times  past.  He  had  aforetime  delivered  him  when 
beset  with  enemies  as  ferocious  and  implacable  as 
ravening  beasts.  He  caused  them  to  stumble  and 
fall,  ere  they  could  make  the  fatal  spring.  This 
encourages  David  to  believe  that  God  will  treat  his 
present  enemies  in  the  same  way.  It  avails  greatly 
to  the  strengthening  of  our  faith,  to  remember,  in  the 
midst  of  present  trials,  former  deliverances.  How 
many  a  trial  comes  upon  us  under  the  pressure  of 


PSALM   XXVII.  339 

which  we  think  we  shall  surely  sink,  which  is  really 
insignificant  when  compared  with  other  trials,  from 
which  our  covenant-keeping  God  has  already  time 
and  again  delivered  us.  How  seldom  would  any 
believer  in  Jesus  despond,  if  he  were  in  the  habit,  in 
the  hour  of  darkness,  of  recalling  God's  former  deal- 
ings with  him !  A  review  of  those  dealings  would 
soon  convince  him  that  God's  fatherly  care  of  him 
had  never  for  a  moment  failed,  and  therefore  could 
not  fail  liim  now. 

Verse  3.  Though  a  host  should  encamp  against  me,  my  heart 
shall  not  fear;  though  war  should  rise  against  me,  in  this 
will  I  be  confident. 

In  this,  that  is,  even  in  this  condition  of  my 
affairs,  I  will  still  be  confident  of  the  Divine  protec- 
tion and  deliverance.  This  was  no  idle  boast  on 
David's  part  of  the  tranquilizing  power  of  his  faith  in 
God.  There  was  a  time  in  his  history  when  war  did 
rise  against  him,  led  on  by  his  own  son,  and  a  hos- 
tile host  were  encamped  against  him.  But  "his 
heart  did  not  fear."  That  night  he  retired  to  rest, 
in  the  midst  of  the  perils  surrounding  him,  without 
a  single  anxious  thought  in  regard  to  the  future. 
He  says,  "I  laid  me  down  and  slept;  I  awaked:  for 
the  Lord  sustained  me.  I  will  not  be  afraid  of  ten 
thousands  of  people,  that  have  set  themselves  against 
me  round  about."  Ps.  iii.  5,  6.  David  found  a 
heart's  ease  in  his  faith,  that  enabled  him  to  sleep  as 
sweetly  in  the  midst  of  dangers,  as  a  nursing  child 
in  its  mother's  arms.  He  is  not,  however,  the  only 
one  against  whom  a  host  has  encamped  and  war 
arisen.  Every  believer  in  Jesus  is  surrounded  by 
hostile  forces,  waging  war  upon  him  to  destroy  him. 
Wicked  spirits  beset  him  on  every  side,  seeking  his 


340  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ruin.  They  are  around  him,  going  out  and  coming 
in,  rising  up  and  sitting  down,  and  all  the  more  dan- 
gerous because  they  are  invisible.  If  we  attempt  to 
contend  with  these  invisible  foes  in  our  own  unaided 
strength,  we  are  lost;  they  will  surely  overcome  us. 
If,  however,  we  meet  them  in  the  strength  of  God, 
the  weakest  of  us  may  be  sure  of  victory  over  the 
utmost  efforts  of  the  powers  of  darkness.  A  child, 
upheld  by  faith  in  Jesus,  is  more  than  a  match  for 
Satan  with  all  his  agents.  Even  the  child  has,  in  its 
artless  faith  in  Christ,  a  shield  wherewith  it  can 
quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  adversary,  and  with 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God, 
put  him  to  flight.  This  certainly  is  one  of  the  mys- 
teries of  faith,  that  it  can  inspire  the  hearts  of  those 
possessing  it  with  supernatural  heroism,  a  fearless- 
ness of  the  utmost  that  finite  power  can  do  to  them. 
Assured  that  God  is  their  light  and  their  salvation, 
they  can,  whatever  threatens,  smile  at  the  thought 
that  any  evil  will  be  allowed  to  overcome  them. 

Verse  4.  One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,  that  will  I  seek 
after;  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  all  the  days 
of  my  life,  to  behold  the  beauty  of  the  Lord,  and  to  inquire 
in  his  temple. 

We  here  learn  the  value  David  set  upon  the  wor- 
ship of  God.  The  great  object  of  his  desires  was 
that  he  might  "  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  all 
the  days  of  his  life,  to  behold  the  beauty  of  the  Lord, 
and  to  inquire  in  his  temple."  We  understand  by 
these  words,  "the  beauty  of  the  Lord,"  the  revela- 
tion of  his  character  contained  in  the  laws  of  Moses 
and  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  tabernacle. 
Those  laws  and  ceremonies  presented  the  Supreme 
Being  to  the  mind  of  the  diligent  inquirer  in  a  light 


PSALM   XXVII.  341 

of  transcendent  moral  beauty.  They  shadowed  forth 
the  whole  gospel  scheme  of  human  salvation.  Christ, 
more  or  less  veiled,  was  in  every  one  of  its  services. 
And  it  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  David  did  not 
see  him  there,  in  some  measure  as  we  see  him,  with 
the  veil  removed  by  the  explanations  of  the  New 
Testament.  If  he  did,  the  insight  must  have  revealed 
the  Supreme  Being  to  his  mind  as  the  gospel  reveals 
him  to  ours,  as  a  God  of  love.  If  he  saw  Christ  in 
the  law,  and  Christ  in  the  ceremony,  every  part  of 
the  worship  of  God's  house  must  have  been  to  his 
mind  luminous  with  mercy.  Hence  the  fervour  of 
his  desires  to  engage  in  that  worship.  It  is  evidence 
of  spiritual  declension,  when  we  do  not  hunger  and 
thirst  after  communion  with  God  in  the  ways  of  his 
appointment,  and  do  not  pant  after  a  deeper  insight 
into  his  character  and  ways.  The  strongest  desire  of 
David's  heart,  and  the  great  effort  of  his  life,  was  to 
learn  more  and  more  of  Him. 

Verse  5,  For  in  the  time  of  trouble  he  shall  hide  me  in  his 
pavilion :  in  the  secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall  he  hide  me : 
he  shall  set  me  up  upon  a  rock. 

Who  would  not  sing,  as  we  do,  in  one  of  our  metri- 
cal psalms, 

*'Lord,  for  ever  at  thy  side 
Let  my  place  and  portion  be," 

when  being  near  him  ensures  us  such  protection  as 
David  here  describes'?  "In  the  time  of  trouble  he 
shall  hide  me  in  his  pavilion."  He  will  treat  me  as 
an  inmate  of  his  house,  and  as  a  member  of  his 
family.  "In  the  secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall  he 
hide  me."  He  shall  keep  me  as  far  from  all  profane 
approach  as  he  keeps  the  holy  of  holies,  which  none 
but  the  high  priest  dare  to  enter,  and  he  only  on  one 
29* 


342  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

day  in  the  year.  God's  pavilion  surrounding  and 
overshadowing  the  believer,  is  his  omnipotent,  omni- 
present love.  The  secret  place  of  his  tabernacle,  in 
which  he  gives  the  believer  refuge,  is  his  saving 
mercy  in  Christ.  "He  set  me  up  upon  a  rock." 
None  can  feel  the  full  force  of  this  imagery  of  the 
rock,  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  mountain  scenery 
of  Judea,  where  there  are  rocks  towering  into  the 
skies  Uke  impregnable  castles,  gaining  whose  summit, 
any  one  can  defy  the  power  of  the  world  to  harm 
him.  The  rock,  however,  upon  which  the  Lord  had 
set  David's  feet  was  none  of  these,  but  the  "Rock  of 
Ages." 

Verse  6.  And  now  shall  my  head  be  lifted  up  above  mine 
enemies  round  about  me :  therefore  will  I  offer  in  his  taber- 
nacle sacrifices  of  joy;  I  will  sing,  yea,  I  will  sing  praises 
unto  the  Lord. 

Behold  the  power  of  unfeigned  faith  in  God. 
Though  David  was  surrounded  by  enemies  on  every 
side,  he  was  as  sure  of  deliverance  as  if  he  had 
already  obtained  it.  "And  now  shall  mine  head  be 
lifted  up  above  mine  enemies."  He  does  not  speak 
of  his  deliverance  as  a  thing  that  may  be,  but  as  a 
thing  that  shall  be.  "Therefore  will  I  offer  in  his 
tabernacle  sacrifices  of  joy;  I  will  sing,  yea,  I  will 
sing  praises  unto  the  Lord."  He  speaks  of  his  return 
to  the  house  of  God  as  if  there  was  not  an  obstacle 
in  his  way.  He  who  is  humbly  trusting  for  salva- 
tion to  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  Christ,  need  not  fear 
that  he  will  not  return  and  come  to  Zion,  with  songs 
and  everlasting  joy  upon  his  head.  Redeeming  love, 
whatever  creature  power  may  oppose  him,  will  surely 
bring  him  to  his  Father's  house  at  last.  His  Rock 
will  not  fail  him.  "I  am  weakness  itself,"  said  a 
dying  believer,  "but  I  am  on  the  Rock.     I  do  not 


PSALM  XXVII.  343 

feel  those  transports  which  some  have  expressed  in 
view  of  death ;  but  my  dependence  is  on  the  mercy 
of  God  in  Christ;  here  my  religion  began,  and  here 
it  must  end."  "And  now,  death,  strike!"  said  an- 
other dying  believer,  after  saying,  "Christ  in  his 
person,  Christ  in  the  love  of  his  heart,  and  Christ  in 
the  power  of  his  arm,  is  the  Rock  upon  which  I 
rest."  How  far  above  all  enemies,  even  above  death 
itself,  does  it  lift  our  heads,  for  God  to  set  us  up  upon 
the  rock  of  everlasting  strength  which  he  has  pro- 
vided for  us  in  his  Son! 

Verse  7.     Hear,  0  Lord,  when  I  cry  witli  my  voice :  have  mercy 
also  upon  me,  and  answer  me. 

The  true  believer  rejoices  with  trembling.  So  long 
as  he  considers  only  the  power  of  his  Protector,  he 
can  use  the  language  of  the  previous  part  of  this 
psalm,  "Whom  shall  I  fearl  of  whom  shall  I  be 
afraid]"  The  moment,  however,  he  thinks  of  his 
own  weakness  and  liability  to  fall,  words  of  confi- 
dence and  triumph  are  exchanged  for  words  of  prayer. 
Though  the  Lord  had  set  David  upon  a  rock,  he  felt 
that  he  was  safe  there  only  so  long  as  the  Lord  kept 
him  there. 

Verse  8.     When  thou  saidst,  Seek  ye  my  face;  my  heart  said 
unto  thee,  Thy  face,  Lord,  will  I  seek. 

David's  heart  here  echos  back  God's  own  words. 
"  Seek  ye  my  face,"  are  the  words — "thy  face,  Lord, 
will  I  seek,"  their  echo.  It  is  well  for  us  when  every 
precept  and  promise  of  God  finds  a  resonance  in  the 
heart.  It  is  evidence  that  the  same  Spirit  that  in- 
spired the  word,  has  renewed  the  heart.  We  need 
not  fear  when  the  Spirit  in  the  word,  and  the  Spirit 
in  our  hearts,  speak  the  same  thing,  each  lovingly 
answering  the  utterances  of  the  other. 


844  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Veese  9.  Hide  not  thy  face  far  from  me;  put  not  thy  servant 
away  in  anger:  thou  hast  been  my  help;  leave  me  not, 
neither  forsake  me,  0  God  of  my  salvation. 

David's  faith  is  not  so  strong  as  it  was.  There  is 
in  this  place  a  blending  of  fear  with  it.  He  fears 
the  hiding  of  God's  face,  hastens  to  remind  him  that 
he  is  his  servant,  and  craves  his  protection  as  such. 
The  Lord  had  hitherto  been  his  helper  and  the  God 
of  his  salvation,  and  he  prays  that,  being  his  servant, 
he  would  be  such  to  him  still.  This  making  one's 
being  the  servant  of  the  Lord  a  ground  of  prayer  is 
well  conceived.  The  Lord  maketh  a  difference  be- 
tween him  that  serveth  God  and  him  that  serveth 
him  not.  None  can  fail  of  the  Divine  protection 
who  are  humbly  endeavouring  to  serve  God  in  sim- 
plicity and  godly  sincerity.  If  such  be  the  testimony 
of  our  conscience,  we  need  have  no  fears  that  he  will 
forsake  us.  He  would  not  be  himself  were  he  to 
do  so. 

Verse  10.  Y/hen  my  fiither  and  my  mother  forsake  me,  then 
the  Lord  will  take  me  up. 

The  love  of  God,  it  has  been  said,  is  the  only  love 
that  is  sure,  in  heaven,  or  on  earth ;  the  love  of  men 
disappears  on  the  approach  of  misfortune,  in  which 
they  recognize  a  dispensation  to  renounce  love.  But 
God  shows  his  love  to  his  people  most  tenderly  when 
they  are  in  affliction.  He  says  to  the  soul  that  hopes 
in  his  mercy,  and  endeavours  to  serve  him,  "Can 
a  woman  forget  her  sucking  child,  that  she  should 
not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of  her  womb"?  yea, 
they  may  forget,  yet  will  I  not  forget  thee."  Isa. 
xlix.  15.  It  is  to  this  love  of  God,  tenderer  and 
more  enduring  than  that  of  a  mother,  to  which  David 
refers  in  the  words,  "  When  my  father  and  my  mother 


PSALM   XXVII.  345 

forsake  me,  then  the  Lord  will  take  me  up."  "What 
a  cordial  should  this  be  to  the  believer,  in  times  of 
trouble — though  all  other  loves  should  fail  him,  the 
love  of  God  will  not ! 

Verse  11.  Teach  me  thy  way,  0  Lord,  and  lead  me  in  a  plain 
path,  because  of  mine  enemies. 

When  brought  into  difficulties,  we  cannot  too  soon, 
nor  too  earnestly,  pray  God  to  show  us  the  right 
way  out  of  them.  This  is  what  David  does  here. 
Hostile  eyes  were  upon  him,  and  he  prays  that  he 
may  be  so  guided  by  the  Divine  grace  and  providence, 
that  even  his  enemies  shall  not  be  able  to  lay,  except 
Jfelsely,  any  sin  to  his  charge.  This  should  be  the 
aim  of  every  believer :  "  Teach  me  thy  way,  O  Lord." 
It  is  not  to  my  own  strength  and  wisdom  that  I  look 
for  deliverance,  but  to  thine.  I  woidd  use  no  means 
of  escape  but  such  as  are  sanctioned  by  the  teachings 
of  thy  word.  God's  way  for  the  believer  to  walk  in, 
is  the  way  of  his  laws. 

Verse  12.  Deliver  me  not  over  unto  the  will  of  mine  enemies; 
for  false  witnesses  are  risen  up  against  me,  and  such  as  breathe 
out  cruelty. 

False  witnesses  would  ruin  him  by  false  accusa- 
tions, and  those  that  breathed  out  cruelty,  by  open 
violence.  Against  these  two  sorts  of  enemies,  false 
and  cruel,  both  David  and  the  Son  of  David  had  to 
contend.  And  every  believer's  danger  is  like  theirs. 
If  we  are  not  surrounded  by  open,  avowed,  and  visi- 
ble enemies,  we  are  at  least  surrounded  by  invisible 
ones,  equally  powerful,  and  more  dangerous  to  the 
soul.  Satan  and  his  hosts  surround  us;  and,  worst 
of  all,  we  each  have  a  treacherous  heart  within,  ready 
to  betray  us  into  their  power.  AVe  cannot  pray  too 
often,  not  to  be  delivered  over  to  the  wiU  of  such 


346  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

enemies,  for  God  alone  can  rescue  us  out  of  their 
hands. 

Verse  13.     I  had  faintccl,  unless  I  had  believed  to  see  the  good- 
ness of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

The  only  thing  that  kept  David  from  despair  in 
his  troubles,  wa§.  his  still  believing  that  he  would  yet 
"see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord;"  that  the  Lord  would 
in  due  time  deliver  him.  It  was  believing  this  that 
encouraged  him  to  pray  without  ceasing.  It  was 
also  believing  this  that  enabled  him  at  last  to  ex- 
claim, "The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation, 
whom  shall  I  fear]  the  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my 
life;  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid"?"  If  faith  in  God 
had  not  sustained  him,  he  had  been  lost ;  but  being 
steadfast  in  faith,  his  sorrow  was  in  time  turned  into 
joy,  his  prayers  into  praise,  and  his  fears  of  an  over- 
throw into  a  song  of  triumph. 

Verse  14.     "Wait  on  the  Lord;  be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall 
strengthen  thine  heart:  wait,  I  say,  on  the  Lord. 

Here  is  David's  grand  recipe  for  all  troubles — 
waiting  on  the  Lord — waiting  on  him  in  faith,  and 
prayer,  and  humble  submission  to  his  will.  Troubled 
believer,  let  no  delays  discourage  thee ;  let  no  appa- 
rent denials  dishearten  thee.  Hope  on,  hope  ever; 
pray  on,  pray  ever;  trust  on,  trust  ever.  Be  not  in 
haste  to  suppose  that  God  has  forgotten  thee,  because 
he  does  not  come  to  thy  relief  at  once.  Such  is  the 
import  of  David's  words  in  the  last  verse  of  our 
psalm.  They  teach  us  a  lesson  that  we  cannot  learn 
too  thoroughly,  that  we  should  never  cease  seeking 
the  favour  of  God  till  we  have  obtained  it.  It  was 
thus  that  David  sought:  he  renewed  his  suit  con- 
tinually, till  the  blessing  came.  It  was  thus,  too,  that 
the  Syrophenician  mother,  seeking  relief  for  her  poor, 


PSALM  XXVIIT.  347 

tormented  daughter,  urged  her  suit.  At  first  not 
only  denied,  but  apparently  repulsed,  she  still  perse- 
vered; only  becoming  more  importunate  as  her  case 
seemed  more  hopeless,  till  at  last  the  blessing  came, 
with  the  words,  "O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith:  be  it 
unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt."  Matt.  xv.  28.  "AVait 
(then)  on  the  Lord ;  be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall 
strengthen  thy  heart:  wait,  I  say,  on  the  Lord." 
Wait  on  him  in  faith,  and  prayer,  and  humble  sub- 
mission, and  he  will,  in  his  own  good  and  best  time, 
enable  you  also  to  say  from  the  heart,  "  The  Lord  is 
my  light  and  my  salvation,  whom  shall  I  fear'?  the 
Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life;  of  whom  shall  I  be 
afraid  r' 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM   XXVIII. 

Verse  1.  Unto  tliee  will  I  cry,  0  Lord,  my  Rock;  be  not  silent 
to  me :  lest,  if  thou  be  silent  to  me,  I  become  like  them  that 
go  down  into  the  pit. 

This  psalm  so  nearly  resembles  the  twenty-seventh, 
that  it  was,  as  many  think,  probably  written  on  the 
same  occasion.  Both  contain  the  same  complaints 
of  enemies  seeking  the  writer's  destruction  by  force 
and  fraud,  violence  and  treachery.  Both  contain 
also  the  same  earnest  cries  to  God  for  deliverance, 
the  same  confident  expectation  that  it  will  be  grant- 
ed, and  the  same  praise  and  thanksgiving  for  the 
blessing  vouchsafed.  Each  seems  very  much  like  an 
echo  and  resonance  of  the  other,  and  the  latter  to 
have  been  written  to  deepen  the  impression  supposed 
to  have   been  made  by  the  former.      The   words, 


348  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

"  Unto  thee  will  I  cry,  O  Lord,  my  Rock,"  indicate 
the  stability  of  the  strength  upon  which  David  rehed. 
It  was  not  in  human  strength,  not  in  angelic  strength 
he  trusted,  but  in  the  Lord.  Jehovah  was  his  rock 
of  hope.  The  rock  continues  the  same  from  genera- 
tion to  generation;  what  it  was  thousands  of  years 
ago,  the  same  it  is  to-day.  It  is  the  same  with  the 
Lord  in  the  strength  and  immutability  of  his  purpose 
to  save  those  hoping  in  his  mercy.  He  is  of  one 
mind,  and  changes  not  in  his  eternal  purpose  to 
make  a  difference  between  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked.  It  is  this  upon  which  David  bases  his  hope 
and  prayer.  The  thought  of  this  eternal  pui-pose 
inspires  the  prayer,  "be  not  silent  to  me;  lest  if  thou 
be  silent  to  me,  I  become  like  them  that  go  down 
into  the  pit."  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  move  God  to 
do  for  us,  when  we  can  plead  his  own  attributes  and 
purposes  as  the  basis  of  our  prayers.  Himself  right- 
eous, he  cannot  fail  to  deliver  those  who  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness.  He  may,  for  the  trial  of 
their  faith  and  the  purification  of  their  hearts,  leave 
them  to  contend  with  their  enemies,  visible  and  in- 
visible, till  they  seem  to  themselves  ready  to  perish; 
but  at  the  right  time  the  long  silence  will  be  broken, 
and  a  saving  answer  returned  to  their  cry. 

Verse  2.     Hear  the  voice  of  my  supplications,  when  I  cry  unto 
thee;  when  I  lift  up  my  hands  toward  thy  holy  oracle. 

Lifting  up  the  hands  as  an  attitude  of  prayer,  was 
at  one  time  general,  perhaps  universal,  throughout 
the  world,  and  symbolized  the  lifting  up  of  the  heart 
to  God.  The  lifting  up  of  holy  hands  indicates  the 
worshipping  God  with  a  pure  heart  fervently.  This 
is  what  David  does  here.  Every  movement  of  his 
body  is  instinct  with  the  intensity  of  his  desires. 


PSALM  XXVIII.  349 

He  lifts  up  his  hands  toward  God's  holy  oracle — 
toward  the  mercy-seat  in  the  holy  of  holies.  He 
expects  mercy  only  upon  the  terms  dictated  by  the 
Voice  speaking  there  from  between  the  cherubim. 
There  he  approached  Deity  enshrined  in  the  lumi- 
nous cloud,  and  placable  through  the  blood  of  atone- 
ment. Deity  did  there,  as  it  were,  embody  himself, 
so  that  his  worshippers  could  not  only  hear  his  voice, 
but  actually  see  the  source  whence  it  came.  But 
how  dim  an  embodiment  of  Deity  was  the  shelcinah 
in  the  holy  of  holies,  when  compared  with  his  em- 
bodiment of  himself  in  Christ!  Dazzlingly  bright  as 
the  shekinah  in  the  holy  of  holies  was,  it  was  but 
the  shadow  of  God  as  he  has  revealed  himself  to  us 
in  Christ!  Christ  is  God's  holy  oracle  indeed,  in 
whom,  having  taken  up  his  abode,  he  manifests  all 
his  attributes,  and  through  whom  we  can  lift  up  our 
hands  to  God  with  full  assurance  of  faith.  How 
delightful  the  voice  proceeding  from  God  in  Christ, 
"Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest !"  If  it  were  a  joy  to 
the  Israelite  to  lift  up  his  hands  to  God  enshrined  in 
the  holy  of  holies,  how  much  greater  joy  should  it  be 
to  us  to  lift  up  our  hands  to  him  enshrined  in  Christ, 
and  rendered  for  ever  placable  by  an  atonement  that 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin,  and  exalts  us  to  everlasting 
life! 

Verse  3.  Draw  me  not  away  with  tlie  wicked  and  with  the 
workers  of  iniquity,  which  speak  peace  to  their  neighbours, 
but  mischief  is  in  their  hearts. 

"Draw  me  not  away."     These  words  refer  to  the 
practice  in  the  East  of  dragging  away  to  execution 
those  who  have  been  condemned  to  capital  punish- 
ment.   David  prays  that  their  lot  and  doom  may  not 
30 


350  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

be  his.  Conscious  of  no  fellowship  with  the  wicked 
and  the  workers  of  iniquity,  he  deprecates  being 
made  a  partaker  of  their  punishment.  Happy  the 
man  who  can  appeal  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts  to  bear 
witness  that  he  has  no  sympathy  with  evil  and  evil- 
doers. INIany  countenance  the  wickedness  in  which 
they  will  not  openly  engage.  They  love  the  sin,  and 
are  deterred  from  its  commission  only  by  the  fear  of 
the  accruing  penalty.  It  was  not  so  with  David. 
He  hated  sin  in  every  form,  and  would  have  avoided 
it  if  there  had  been  no  punishment  attached  to  its 
commission.  The  temper  of  his  mind  was  morally 
averse  to  it. 

"Which  speak  peace  to  their  neighbours,  but 
mischief  is  in  their  hearts."  These  words  describe 
the  sort  of  wicked  workers  of  iniquity  with  whom 
David  had  to  do.  They  were  wretched  dissemblers, 
men  who,  while  making  loud  professions  of  friend- 
ship, were  at  the  same  time  secretly  plotting  his 
ruin.  There  were  fair  words  on  their  lips,  but  mis- 
chief was  in  their  hearts.  Conscious  of  no  such 
duplicity  and  insincerity  towards  them  as  they  were 
practising  towards  him,  David  prays  that  the  blow  of 
Divine  vengeance,  which  would  in  time  reach  them, 
might  not  reach  him.  The  argument  of  his  prayer 
is  this,  namely,  that  as  there  was  no  identity  of  cha- 
racter between  himself  and  the  wicked  of  whom  he 
speaks,  so  there  should  be  no  identity  of  doom.  On 
this  same  ground  we  too  may  pray  not  to  be  identi- 
fied with  the  wicked  in  their  doom.  We  cannot, 
however,  be  too  careful  not  to  utter  with  our  lips 
what  we  do  not  feel  in  our  hearts.  Insincerity  is  the 
most  detestable  of  vices,  and  the  dissembler  the  most 
detestable  of  characters.    He  flatters,  only  to  destroy. 


PSALM   XXVIII.  351 

Verse  4.  Give  them  according  to  their  deeds,  and  according  to 
the  wickedness  of  their  endeavours;  give  them  after  the  work 
of  their  hands;  render  to  them  their  desert. 

This  is  strict  justice  that  David  here  prays  for  his 
enemies;  that  they  sliould  be  judged  not  only  for 
their  deeds,  but  also  for  their  endeavours ;  not  only 
for  what  they  had  actually  done^  but  also  for  what 
they  had  only  attempted  to  do.  It  is  even  so.  As  a 
man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he.  Prov.  xxiii.  7. 
The  evil  purpose,  the  wicked  attempt,  even  where  it 
fails,  is  punishable  in  the  sight  of  God.  There  is 
many  a  murderer  who  never  gave  a  blow.  It  is  the 
heart  that  commits  the  sin,  not  the  hand.  Whoever 
gains  his  own  consent  to  do  an  evil  deed,  if  opportu- 
nity offers,  has,  in  the  sight  of  God,  already  involved 
himself  in  the  guilt  of  it.  God  will  judge  us  for  the 
thoughts  of  the  heart  as  well  as  for  our  deeds;  for 
our  endeavours,  as  well  as  for  our  wicked  purposes 
accomplished.  David  then  prayed  for  what  is  con- 
sonant with  the  known  will  and  purpose  of  God, 
when  he  prayed  that  the  incorrigibly  wicked  might 
be  dealt  with  according  to  their  deeds,  and  according 
to  their  endeavours.  But  some  over-critical  readers 
of  the  Bible  profess  to  dislike  David's  praying  for 
the  destruction  of  his  enemies.  They  forget  that  he 
does  not  pray  for  their  destruction  as  his  own  per- 
sonal enemies,  but  only  as  the  enemies  of  truth  and 
order  in  the  earth,  for  the  defence  of  which  he  had 
been  set  by  the  God  of  truth  and  order.  No  other 
man,  except  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  was  so  forgiving 
of  his  personal  enemies  as  David  was.  It  was  for 
the  destruction  of  the  enemies  of  his  country  and  of 
liis  God  that  he  prayed,  and  justly  too,  as  we  may  do, 
and  should  do,  if  such  were  to  come  against  us  to 


352  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

cast  us  clown.  There,  is  however,  another  answer  to 
this  objection  to  David's  prayer.  The  structure  of 
the  language  in  which  it  was  originally  written  does 
not  necessarily  require  David's  words  to  be  under- 
stood as  a  prayer,  but  only  as  a  predictio7i,  a  predic- 
tion that  God  will  not  let  the  wicked  go  unpunished. 
And  what  can  be  more  certain  than  this,  that  God 
does  give  the  incorrigibly  wicked  according  to  their 
deeds,  and  according  to  the  wickedness  of  their  en- 
deavours"?  The  meting  out  to  them  their  desert  may 
be  long  delayed,  but  it  is  sure  to  come  at  last.  God 
so  administers  the  moral  government  of  the  world, 
that  every  unrighteous  blow  aimed  at  another,  sooner 
or  later  recoils  on  him  who  gave  it. 

A-^ERSE  5.  Because  they  regard  not  the  works  of  the  Lord,  nor 
the  operations  of  his  hands,  he  shall  destroy  them,  and  not 
build  them  up. 

We  have  here  as  a  simple  prediction,  what  seems 
in  the  preceding  verse  to  be  a  prayer,  namely,  that 
God  will  destroy  the  wicked,  and  not  build  them  up. 
And  here,  moreover,  we  have  the  reason  assigned  for 
his  destroying  them,  "Because  they  regard  not  the 
works  of  the  Lord,  nor  the  operations  of  his  hands." 
David  prayed  in  the  preceding  verse,  then,  if  pray  he 
did,  and  not  simply  predict,  that  God  would  do  only 
that  which  he  will  do,  and  must  do,  as  the  righteous 
Governor  of  the  world ;  that  is,  destroy  all  those  who 
are  not  deterred  from  sin  by  the  teachings  of  his 
providence.  It  needs  not  the  voice  of  revelation  to 
teach  us  that  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard, 
that  the  sinner's  sin  will  surely  find  him  out.  The 
history  of  individuals  and  of  nations  shows  that  no  one 
can  sin  with  impunity.  If  men  disregard  this  great 
fact,   they  precipitate  themselves  upon  destruction. 


PSALM   XXVIII.  353 

They  are  crushed  before  the  movements  of  the 
Divine  Providence,  because  they  throw  themselves 
in  the  way  of  those  movements.  They  are  blind  to 
the  fact,  which  a  moment's  reflection  would  teach 
them,  that  none  can  contend  against  the  Almighty 
and  not  joerish.  To  illustrate  the  truth  of  this 
remark  we  need  not  refer  to  the  extreme  case  of  the 
royal  butcher  of  thirty  thousand  Huguenots,  Charles 
the  Ninth  of  France,  who,  bathed  in  his  own  blood, 
which  burst  from  his  veins,  died,  exclaiming,  "What 
blood! — what  murders! — I  know  not  where  I  am! — 
how  will  all  this  end? — what  shall  I  do? — I  am  lost 
for  ever! — I  know  it!"  It  requires  no  such  extreme 
case  as  this  to  prove  that  God  visits  the  opposers  of 
his  truth  with  his  vengeance.  His  vengeance  over- 
takes not  only  those  who  oppose,  but  also  those  who 
do  not  embrace  his  truth  in  the  love  of  it,  and  do  all 
they  can  to  promote  a  dissemination  of  it  among 
the  destitute  of  the  earth.  He  that  is  not  with 
Christ,  is  against  him. 

Verse  G.     Blessed  be  the  Lord,  because  be  bath  beard  the  voice 
of  my  supplications. 

It  was  not  in  vain  that  David  cried,  "Hear  the 
voice  of  my  supplications  when  I  cry  unto  thee,  when 
I  Hft  up  my  hands  toward  thy  holy  oracle."  The 
Lord  has  heard  the  voice  of  his  supplications,  and 
here  he  blesses  him  for  it.  It  is  strange  how  sud- 
denly God  can  turn  the  darkest  night  into  the  bright- 
est day,  the  deepest  sorrow  into  the  highest  joy,  the 
saddest  notes  of  despondency  into  songs  of  triumph. 
He  speaks,  and  it  is  done! — light  and  joy  and  full 
assurance  of  victory  flood  the  soul.  Thus  it  hap- 
pened to  one  of  our  English  martyrs.  For  several 
days  previous  to  his  execution,  he  was  overwhelmed 
30* 


354  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

with  the  prospect  of  martyrdom,  and  contmued  so 
overwhelmed  until  he  came  within  sight  of  the  stake 
where  he  was  to  be  burned,  when,  all  of  a  sudden, 
his  whole  soul  was  so  filled  with  light  and  heavenly 
consolation,  that  he  could  not  forbear  clasping  his 
hands,  and  crying  out,  "He  is  come,  he  is  come!" 
In  some  such  way  as  this,  and  quite  as  suddenly, 
perhaps,  light  and  consolation  seem  to  have  been 
poured  into  the  soul  of  the  psalmist.  One  moment 
we  hear  his  impassioned  cry  for  help;  the  next, 
"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  heard  the  voice  of 
my  supplications."  He  feels  assured  that  his  ene- 
mies shall  not  triumph  over  him,  and  that  the  cause 
of  truth  and  righteousness  will  prevail. 

Yerse  7.  The  Lord  is  my  strengtli  and  my  shield;  my  heart 
trusted  in  him,  and  I  am  helped :  therefore  my  heart  greatly 
rejoiceth;  and  with  my  song  will  I  praise  him. 

His  whole  nation  and  his  own  son  are  supposed  to 
have  been  arrayed  against  David  at  this  time,  while 
he  was  surrounded  by  a  mere  handful  of  weak  and 
weeping  followers;  nevertheless,  his  heart  did  not 
fear:  on  the  contrary,  he  says,  "My  heart  greatly 
■rejoiceth;  and  with  my  song  will  I  praise  the  Lord." 
David  reveals  the  secret  of  his  joy  and  singing — the 
Lord  was  his  strength  and  his  shield.  He  was  assured 
that  the  everlasting  arms  were  round  him.  He  knew 
that  such  faith,  and  hope,  and  confidence  as  he  felt 
throbbing  in  his  heart,  God  alone  could  have  inspired, 
and  that  he  had  not  inspired  them  to  disappoint 
them.  O  what  songs  God  can  put  into  the  mouth 
of  the  believer  in  the  night,  if  he  steadfastly  trusts  in 
him!  The  human  heart  can  experience  no  sorrow 
which  he  cannot  cure,  and  fill  it  with  a  joy  unspeak- 
able and  full  of  glory. 


PSALM  XXVIII.  355 

Verse  8.     The  Lord  is  their  strength,  and  he  is  the  saving 
strength  of  his  anointed. 

The  help  vouchsafed  to  David  was  vouchsafed  also 
to  his  few  faithful  followers.  The  Lord  was  their 
strength  also.  God  had  poured  the  same  spirit  of 
confident  and  joyous  faith  into  the  heart  of  his  still 
loyal  subjects,  that  he  had  poured  into  the  heart  of 
his  anointed,  into  the  heart  of  David  their  king. 
They  were  few  in  number,  but  strong  in  faith;  they 
feared  not  the  world  in  arms  against  them.  What 
a  prodigy  of  courage  and  heroism  can  faith  in  God 
make  of  weak  and  timid  man !  Once  Peter  cowered 
before  the  browbeating  of  a  silly  maid,  and  was 
driven  by  it  to  deny  his  Master,  with  oaths  and  exe- 
crations ;  but  afterwards,  when  the  Divine  Spirit  had 
poured  into  his  heart  that  most  excellent  gift,  Divine 
faith,  he  did  not  fear  to  stand  up,  and  charge  his 
whole  nation  with  having  murdered  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.  And  the  same  most  excellent  gift  wrought 
the  same  transformations  in  all  the  apostles.  Once 
they  all  forsook  their  Master,  and  fled ;  but  no  sooner 
had  power  descended  into  their  souls  from  on  high, 
than  they  no  longer  knew  what  fear  was.  They 
smiled  at  what  man  could  do  to  them;  they  feared 
nothing  but  sin.  Let  us  all  pray  earnestly,  and 
without  ceasing,  that  this  same  power  from  on  high 
may  descend  into  our  souls,  that^  we  too  may  fear 
nothing  but  sin. 

Verse  9.     Save  thy  people,  and  bless  thine  inheritance:   feed 
them  also,  and  lift  them  up  for  ever. 

The  believer  never  prays  only  for  himself.  What 
he  craves  for  himself,  he  craves  for  the  whole  Israel 
of  God.  The  spirit  of  true  prayer  is  not  a  selfish 
spirit,  but  embraces  aU,  in  the  fervour  of  its  desires. 


356  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

It  is  a  spirit  that  identifies  the  individual  vnth  the 
mass,  and  causes  him  to  sympathize  with  the  whole. 
Hence  David's  prayer,  "  Save  thy  people,  and  bless 
thine  inheritance :  feed  them  also,  and  lift  them  up 
for  ever."  He  was  not  satisfied  with  being  blessed 
himself,  unless  the  whole  family  were  blessed  with 
him.  Indeed,  David  seems  to  have  desired  life  for 
himself,  only  that  he  might  be  useful  to  the  Church 
of  God;  as  we  read  elsewhere,  "If  I  forget  thee, 
O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning. 
If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  my  mouth;  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem 
above  my  chief  joy."  Ps.  cxxxvii.  5,  6. 

Do  we  love  the  Church  of  God  more  than  we 
love  all  things  else?  Do  we  reckon  life  valuable, 
and  to  be  desired,  only  as  a  means  of  promoting 
the  glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  others'?  Is 
it  our  prayer,  as  we  lie  down  at  night,  and  again 
as  we  rise  in  the  morning,  "Thy  kingdom  come"] 
And  do  we  embody  this  prayer  into  our  lives?  Do 
we  pursue  even  our  secular  callings  altogether  in 
subserviency  to  this  great  end?  In  short,  is  the 
glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  the  world,  the 
governing  motive  of  everything  we  do?  It  should 
be,  it  will  be,  if  our  hearts  are  in  the  right  place.  It 
is  vain  to  think  ourselves  Christians,  if  we  do  not 
prefer  the  service  of  God  above  our  chief  joy.  "Save 
thy  people,  and  bless  thine  heritage;  govern  them, 
and  lift  them  up  for  ever,"  comes  as  words  of  mock- 
ery from  our  lips,  when  we  do  not  co-operate  with 
God  in  accomplishing  the  work  which  we  pray  him 
to  do.  Our  very  profession  makes  us  co-workers 
with  God  in  establishing  his  kingdom  in  the  earth. 
He  works  through  human  agents  and  human  agen- 


PSALM  XXIX.  857 

cies,  and  no  man  alive  is  exempt  from  doing  his  best 
to  advance  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness.  May- 
God  give  us  all  grace  to  love  his  cause  as  he  loves  it, 
with  the  whole  heart.  So  he  loves  it,  so  his  Son 
loves  it,  and  so  we  should  love  it. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXIX. 

This  twenty-ninth  psalm  describes  all  the  pheno- 
mena of  a  violent  thunder-storm.  It  gives  us  the 
storm  in  all  its  parts,  and  in  the  order  in  which  they 
naturally  occur.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  too,  that 
the  psalm  is  strictly  geographical  in  its  structure. 
The  region  of  country  over  wdiich  the  storm  passes, 
is  described  with  the  utmost  accuracy.  It  rises  in 
the  Mediterranean,  away  to  the  north  of  Judea,  and 
sweeps,  in  its  course,  along  the  mountains  lying  on 
either  side  the  Jordan,  until  it  reaches  Jerusalem  and 
the  regions  south  of  it.  We  may,  therefore,  conceive 
of  the  writer  of  this  majestic  ode,  as  standing,  with 
an  awe-stricken  multitude,  on  the  mount  where  the 
temple  afterwards  stood,  and  watching  the  storm  as 
it  rises,  and  every  step  of  its  onward  progress,  until, 
having  passed  over  the  sacred  mountain  without 
doing  it  any  harm,  it  passes  on  to  regions  farther 
south.  "  Rightly  to  appreciate  the  feelings  of  David 
on  such  an  occasion,  one  ought,"  Tholuck  writes,  "  to 
realize  an  oriental  storm,  especially  in  the  mountain- 
ous regions  of  Palestine,  which,  accompanied  by  the 
terrific  echoes  of  the  encircling  mountains,  by  tor- 
rents of  rain  like  water-spouts,  often  scatters  terror  on 


358  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

man  and  beast,  destruction  on  cities  and  fields."  "  I 
was  overtaken,"  writes  a  traveller  in  the  holy  land, 
"by  a  storm,  as  if  the  flood-gates  of  heaven  had 
burst:  it  came  on  in  a  moment,  and  raged  with  a 
power  which  suggested  the  end  of  the  world.  Solemn 
darkness  covered  the  earth:  the  rain  descended  in 
torrents,  and  sweeping  down  the  mountain  side, 
became  by  the  fearful  power  of  the  storm,  transmuted 
into  thick  clouds  of  fog."  It  was  a  storm  of  this 
sort,  whose  winds  and  floods  beat  upon  and  swept 
away  the  foolish  man's  house  that  had  been  built  upon 
the  sand.  On  witnessing  then  a  storm  so  grand,  so 
sublime,  and  so  awful,  as  the  one  he  here  describes, 
and  so  indicative  of  the  irresistible  might  of  Him  who 
sent  and  directed  it,  David  could  with  propriety  open 
this  psalm  only  as  he  does,  saying, 

Verse  1.     Give  unto  the  Lord,  0  ye  mighty,  give  unto  the  Lord 
glory  and  strength. 

The  thought  that  this  God,  whose  power  is  so  con- 
spicuous in  the  thunder-storm,  is  his  God,  and 
therefore  his  Guardian  and  Protector,  so  fills  his  soul 
with  love  and  holy  enthusiasm,  that  he  is  not  satis- 
fied with  his  own  solitary  praise  of  him,  but  calls 
upon  the  mighty,  the  sons  of  Elohim,  to  join  him  in 
his  song.  He  makes  a  similar  call  in  the  one  hun- 
dred and  third  psalm,  where,  after  calling  upon  his 
soul  and  all  that  is  within  him  to  bless  the  Lord  for 
all  his  mercies  to  him,  he  breaks  forth,  "  Bless  the 
Lord,  ye  his  angels,  that  excel  in  strength,  that  do 
his  commandments,  hearkening  unto  the  voice  of  his 
word.  Bless  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  hosts;  ye  ministers 
of  his  that  do  his  pleasure."  The  believer  whose  heart 
is  a-glow  with  the  love  of  God,  a  love  kindled  by  a 
vivid  perception  of  his  greatness  and  power,  longs  to 


PSALM  XXIX.  359 

see  everything  that  hath  breath  praisng  the  Lord; 
and  especially  to  see  higher  and  holier  natures  doing 
it.  If  there  be  a  creature  in  the  universe  higher  than 
any  other,  that  creature  he  would  engage  in  His 
praise,  that  creature  the  believer  would  invoke  to 
raise  its  song  of  praise  and  adoration  in  heaven  itself. 
This  longing  of  the  loving  and  adoring  soul  to  have 
angels  join  it  in  its  song  and  swell  its  strains,  proves 
that  the  family  in  heaven  and  the  family  on  earth  are 
indeed  but  one.  It  is  a  beautiful  illustration  of  what 
we  in  part  mean  by  "  the  communion  of  saints,"  that 
every  holy  being  in  the  universe  sympathizes  with 
every  other  holy  being,  and  would  make  it  a  sharer 
in  its  joys  and  praises  of  God. 

Verse   2.     Give  unto  the  Lord  the  glory  due  unto  his  name: 
worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  hoUness. 

To  give  unto  the  Lord  the  glory  due  unto  his 
name,  is  to  render  him  the  homage  and  worship  that 
his  character  demands:  a  character  glorious  in  holi- 
ness, fearful  in  praises.  For  his  infinite  power, 
under  the  guidance  of  his  infinite  love  and  wisdom, 
the  angels  are  exhorted  to  worship  the  Lord  in  the 
beauty  of  holiness;  with  reverence  and  godly  fear. 
"In  the  beauty  of  holiness;"  or,  in  holy  attire,  for  so 
the  original  may  be  rendered.  There  is  an  allusion 
to  the  law  requiring  the  priests  of  the  earthly  tem- 
ple to  clothe  themselves  in  holy  garments,  before  en- 
gaging in  the  worship  of  God.  So,  too,  the  worship- 
pers in  the  heavenly  temple,  when  they  come  before 
the  Lord,  to  adore  him  for  the  glorious  manifesta- 
tions of  his  omnipotence,  should  do  it  with  no  ordi- 
nary thoughts  and  feelings,  but  only  with  those  of 
the  profoundest  reverence  and  holy  awe.  This  they 
should  do,  because  his  omnipotence  can  invest  his 


860  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

holiness,  his  justice,  and  his  truth,  with  the  whole  of 
its  power,  and  is  therefore  to  be  feared,  as  well  as 
adored.  Nor  is  David's  appeal  to  the  celestial 
choir  to  join  him  in  rendering  unto  the  Lord  the 
glory  due  unto  his  name,  unauthorized  by  the  word 
of  God.  It  assures  us  that  the  angels  in  heaven  feel 
a  lively  interest  in  all  the  manifestations  of  the 
Divine  power  upon  the  earth.  They  watch  every 
movement  of  his  here  below,  with  an  interest  that 
never  flags.  Isaiah  tells  us  that  the  seraphim  stand- 
ing around  the  throne  of  God,  cry  one  to  another,  in 
never-ending  chorus,  "Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord 
of  hosts:  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory."  Isa.  vi.  3. 
It  is  not  in  the  manifestations  of  his  glory  in  the 
heavens  only,  that  cherubim  and  seraphim,  angel 
and  archangel  rejoice,  but  they  rejoice  also  in  the 
manifestations  of  his  glory  upon  the  earth.  They  are 
deeply  interested  in  every  movement  of  the  Divine 
power. 

Verse  3.     The  voice  of  the  Lord  is  upon  the  waters:  the  God  of 
glory  thundereth;  the  Lord  is  upon  many  waters. 

Here  is  the  beginning  of  the  storm,  whose  power 
and  sublimity  David  invocates  the  heavenly  host  to 
join  him  in  celebrating.  "The  voice  of  the  Lord  is 
(heard)  upon  the  waters:"  afar  ofi"  over  the  sea,  the 
storm-cloud  is  reverberating  with  his  thunders.  Dis- 
tant thunder  is  in  some  respects  more  sublime  than 
thunder  that  is  crashing  around  us.  Distance  so 
blends  its  separate  peals,  that  they  strike  the  ear  as 
almost  one  continued  sound;  comparatively  low,  it 
may  be,  but  with  a  power  that  makes  the  very  earth 
under  our  feet,  as  well  as  the  atmosphere  around  us, 
tremble,  as  if  shuddering  in  conscious  terror  at  its 
approach.     It  seems  indeed  as  the  voice  of  Omnipo- 


PSALM   XXIX.  361 

tence  sonnding  from  afar;  and  David's  words,  "the 
God  of  glory  thundereth;  the  Lord  is  upon  many 
waters,"  are  words  that  would  spring  spontaneously 
to  the  lips  of  every  intelligent  listener.  It  would 
require  no  great  force  of  imagination  to  conceive  of 
a  storm  thus  shaking,  even  while  afar  off,  earth  and 
air,  also  the  waters  above  the  firmament,  and  the 
waters  below  it,  as  being  the  voice  of  an  approaching 
God. 

Verse  4.     The  voice  of  tlie  Lord  is  powerful;  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  is  full  of  majesty. 

Here  the  psalmist  is  supposed  to  describe  the 
deafening  roar  and  din  of  elements,  as  the  storm 
advances,  increasing  in  strength  and  fury  more  and 
more,  as  it  spreads  over  the  heavens.  Its  peals  of 
thunder  are  no  longer  blended  as  into  one,  but,  how- 
ever rapidly  they  succeed  each  other,  each  peal  is 
heard  by  itself,  and  fills  the  mind  of  the  listener  with 
overwhelming  thoughts  of  the  power  and  majesty  of 
Him  who  gave  it  its  voice.  Louder  and  yet  louder 
at  every  moment,  as  the  storm-cloud,  with  its  many 
waters,  advances  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind,  it  gives 
the  beholder  an  idea  of  the  strength  of  God,  that  no 
other  words  than  David's  own  can  describe,  "The 
voice  of  the  Lord  is  in  power;  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
is  full  of  majesty." 

Terse  5.     The  voice  of  the  Lord  breaketh  the  cedars;  yea,  the 
Lord  breaketh  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 

The  storm,  having  hitherto  manifested  itself  only 

over  the  sea  and  in  the  skies,  here,  in  this  verse, 

descends  to  the  earth,  sweeping  first  the  mountains 

in  its  course.    It  sweeps,  first  of  all,  Mount  Lebanon, 

situated  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Jordan,  and  evinces 

its  irresistible  power  in  the  trees  it  prostrates,  even 

31 


362  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

"the  cedars  of  Lebanon."  There  is  an  emphasis  in 
mentioning  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  as  the  trees  that 
the  storm  prostrated.  Their  size,  and  strength,  and 
towering  height,  are  almost  incredible  to  one  who 
has  not  seen  them.  Travellers  tell  us  that  there  are 
cedars  still  standing,  whose  girth  around  the  trunk,  a 
few  feet  above  the  ground,  is  twenty,  thirty,  and  even 
forty  feet.  A  traveller  mentions  one,  whose  circum- 
ference he  found,  upon  measurement,  four  feet  above 
the  ground,  to  be  forty-seven  feet.  A  single  branch 
of  this  tree  was  ninety  feet  in  length.  He  also  writes 
that  the  trunks  of  five  of  the  largest  trees  consisted 
of  three  or  four  divisions,  or,  as  we  call  them,  forks, 
each  of  which  equalled  in  circumference  the  stem  of 
our  largest  oaks.  Indeed,  there  are  accounts  of  cedars 
of  Lebanon  still  larger — of  one,  forty-nine,  and  of 
another  sixty-three  feet  in  circumference.  This  was 
the  kind  of  tree  that  bent  and  broke  before  the  fury 
of  the  storm.  Its  blast  brought  the  stateliest  of  them 
to  the  ground,  broken  in  pieces.  Such,  in  the  Hebrew, 
is  the  import  of  the  second  "  breaketh"  of  our  trans- 
lation. It  is  a  stronger  word  than  the  first  "break- 
eth." The  second  "breaketh"  is  also,  in  the  original, 
not  in  the  present,  but  in  the  past  tense,  as  if  there 
were  no  appreciable  interval  of  time  between  the 
beginning  and  the  end  of  the  complete  destruction 
wrought  by  the  storm.  Rendered  literally,  the  verse 
reads,  "  He  is  breaking — he  hath  broken,  the  cedars 
of  Lebanon." 

Verse  6.     He  maketh  tliem  also  to  skip  like  a  calf;  Lebanon  and 
Sirion  like  a  young  unicorn. 

To  one  standing,  during  the  storm,  in  the  valley 

between  them,  the  mountains,  Lebanon  and  Sirion, 

seem  to  be  alive,  and  under  the  most  rapid  onward 


PSALM  XXIX.  363 

motion.  Inanimate  things  are  fleeing  before  the 
storm,  sweeping  them,  like  the  fleetest  of  living 
creatures.  Lebanon  and  Sirion,  called  also  Libanus 
and  Anti-Libanus,  are  two  parallel  ranges  of  moun- 
tains, east  of  the  Mediterranean,  extending  from  their 
northern  extremities  some  sixty  miles  south,  to  the 
northern  boundary  of  Palestine.  From  north  to 
south,  along  these  two  parallel  ranges  of  mountains, 
separated  from  each  other  by  only  a  narrow  valley, 
the  storm  here  described  rages  in  terrific  power  and 
majesty;  the  trees  broken,  or  torn  up  and  prostrated 
by  its  violence,  are  seen  whirling  onward,  as  if  fleeing 
in  fright  before  it,  like  wild,  aflrighted  animals,  run- 
ning for  their  lives.  The  animals  to  whose  flight 
the  rapid  movements  of  the  trees  are  compared,  are 
among  the  fleetest  known — supposed  to  be  the  ante- 
lope and  the  unicorn. 

Verse  7.     The  voice  of  the  Lord  clivideth  the  flames  of  fire. 

Here  another  element  is  introduced,  to  add  to  the 
power  and  terror  of  the  storm :  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
is  armed  with  forked  lightnings.  He  divideth  the 
flames,  the  electric  fires  with  which  his  clouds  are 
everywhere  charged,  so  that  they  seem  as  myriads  of 
burning  arrows  shot  from  a  bow  that  never  misses 
its  mark.  They  smite,  rive,  prostrate,  and  consume 
what  the  winds  had  spared.  They  light  up  the  whole 
scene,  too,  with  a  light  that  is  truly  appaling;  now 
here,  now  there,  now  gone,  and  now  flashing  upon 
us  again  with  overwhelming  and  blinding  effulgence. 

Verse  8.     The  voice  of  the  Lord  shaketh  the  wilderness;  the 
Lord  shaketh  the  wilderness  of  Kadesh. 

Having  traversed  the  whole  length  of  the  Libanus 
and  Anti-Libanus  ranges  of  mountains  to  the  borders 
of  Palestine — indeed,  the  whole  length  of  the  valley 


364  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

of  the  Jordan,  from  its  northern  to  its  southern  ex- 
tremity, inchiding  the  Dead  Sea,  and  regions  south 
of  it,  but  seeming,  in  its  passage  through  the  holy 
land,  and  over  the  holy  mountain,  to  have  done  them 
no  harm,  the  storm  here  in  this  verse  is  described  as 
shaking  the  wilderness  of  Kadesh.  This  wilderness, 
the  northern  portion  of  the  great  Arabian  desert,  and 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  holy  land,  is  one  of  the 
wildest  in  the  world.  Moses  speaks  of  it  as  the  great 
and  terrible  wilderness,  where  were  serpents,  and 
scorpions,  and  drought — a  desert  land,  and  a  waste 
howhng  wilderness.  Here,  in  this  wilderness,  the 
storm  is  now  manifesting  its  power;  its  naked  rocks, 
stinted  growths,  and  barren  wastes,  shake  and  trem- 
ble as  the  storm  passes  over  them.  This  is  the  wil- 
derness to  which  Elijah  fled  to  escape  the  wrath  of 
Jezebel,  and  while  there,  standing  upon  one  of  its 
mountains,  "Behold,  the  Lord  passed  by,  and  a  great 
and  strong  wind  rent  the  mountains,  and  brake  in 
pieces  the  rocks  before  the  Lord."  1  Kings  xix.  11. 
A  violent  thunder-storm  at  sea,  or  in  a  wilderness, 
where  all  is  waste,  is  perhaps  more  terrific  than  in 
any  other  place.  The  absence  of  everything  but 
that  which  is  as  wild  as  its  own  turmoil,  renders  it 
appahng  indeed. 

Verse  9.  The  voice  of  the  Lord  maketh  the  hinds  to  calve,  and 
discovereth  the  forests :  and  in  his  temple  doth  every  one 
speak  of  his  glory. 

Here  the  scene  of  the  storm  is  changed  from  the 
mountains  and  wilderness  to  the  densely  and  heavily 
wooded  forests,  the  abode  of  gentle  deer,  which  be- 
come so  affrighted  at  its  din,  and  roar,  and  desola- 
tion, that  they  cast  their  young  before  the  time. 
That  man,  having  a  guilty  conscience,  should  fear  and 


PSALM   XXIX.  365 

and  tremble  at  the  voice  of  God  in  the  storm,  is  not 
at  all  surprising.  But  that  innocent,  irrational  crea- 
tures should  fear  and  tremble — relax  in  every  nerve 
and  muscle  that  binds  their  bodies  together,  is  cer- 
tainly a  thing  to  excite  our  wonder.  Knowing  no 
sin,  no  judgment,  no  second  death,  why  should  they 
tremble  and  be  in  pain]  Their  doing  so  bespeaks 
the  power  of  the  voice  of  God  in  the  storm  as  hardly 
anything  else  can.  That  voice,  we  also  read,  "dis- 
covereth  the  forests" — that  is,  strips  them  of  their 
attire,  leaves  them  destitute  of  limbs  and  foliage,  and 
makes  their  darkest  recesses  bright  as  day.  Strange ! 
He  that  tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,  sends 
also  the  tempest  and  the  tornado,  the  lightning  and 
the  storm,  before  which  the  strongest  things  of  even 
inanimate  nature  cannot  stand  for  an  instant ! 

"And  in  his  temple  doth  every  one  speak  of  his 
glory!"  This  is  spoken  of  God's  upper  temple; 
beholding  such  manifestations  of  his  power  on  earth, 
every  one  there  ejaculates.  Glory!  David,  in  the 
first  and  second  verses  of  our  psalm,  had  invoked 
the  angelic  hosts,  the  mighty  ones  of  God,  standing 
around  his  throne  in  heaven,  to  join  him  in  his  song 
of  praise ;  and  this  is  their  universal  answer — Glory ! 
Glory!  they  ejaculated  as  the  storm  commenced — 
Glory!  as  it  advanced — and  Glory!  rising  no  doubt  to 
a  higher  note  and  a  more  swelling  chorus,  when  it 
had  ceased,  and  the  earth  smiled  again  in  renewed 
beauty  beneath  unclouded  skies  and  a  beaming  sun ! 
David,  however,  carries  the  mind  beyond  the  power 
of  God  as  manifested  in  the  storm,  for  he  adds, 

Verse  10.     The  Lord  sitteth  upon  the  flood;  yea,  the  Lord  sit- 
teth  King  for  ever. 

The  verb  sitteth  in  the  first  clause  of  this  verse, 

31* 


866  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

is,  in  the  original,  not  in  the  present  but  in  the  past 
tense — "  the  Lord  sat  upon  the  flood."  The  allusion 
is  to  his  presiding  over  the  storms  and  agitations  of 
the  deluge.  The  deluge  was  not  a  storm  of  a  few 
hours'  continuance  only,  and  of  limited  extent,  but  a 
storm  that  raged  over  the  whole  earth  for  a  twelve 
month.  Nevertheless,  its  winds,  and  waters,  and 
electric  fires  were  at  every  moment  under  the  Divine 
control.  He  still  and  always  held  its  winds  in  his 
fist,  its  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  so 
directed  its  lightnings  that  none  but  his  enemies 
perished,  while  his  friends  escaped  unharmed.  It 
was  seeing  him  continually  ruling  in  the  storm,  but 
most  of  all,  seeing  him  ruling  over  the  deluge,  that 
convinced  David  that  the  Lord  sitteth  King  for  ever ; 
that  he  presideth  always,  everywhere,  and  over  all 
things  with  a  power  which  none  can  resist,  and  not 
perish;  and  yet  a  power  in  which  none  can  trust, 
and  not  be  safe.  This  is  still  more  clearly  expressed 
in  the  next  and  last  verse  of  our  psalm,  which  reads. 

Verse  11.     The  Lord  will  give  strength  unto  his  people;  the 
Lord  will  bless  his  people  with  peace. 

Why,  it  may  be  asked,  did  David  write  this 
psalm — this  magnificent  description  of  a  thunder- 
storm'? Not  to  display  his  poetical  powers,  although 
in  all  that  belongs  to  descriptive  poetry  it  surpasses 
everything  of  the  kind  ever  sketched  by  human 
pen — how  vivid  its  painting,  how  vigorous  its  con- 
ceptions, how  rapid  its  transitions! — yet  David  did 
not  write  it  to  display  his  poetical  powers,  but  to 
depict  the  irresistible  power  of  God,  and  thereby  to 
show  us  how  vain  a  thing  it  is  for  man  to  oppose 
him,  and  how  safe  to  trust  in  him.  This  is  the 
golden  thread  that  runs  through  the  whole;  the  one 


PSALM  XXIX.  367 

great  thought  with  which  he  would  deter  us  from 
sin,  and  bind  us  to  the  throne  of  God.  "  The  Lord 
is  strong,  and  he  will  give  strength  to  his  people." 
The  Lord  is  strong,  and  he  will  use  his  strength  to 
protect  and  bless  his  people  for  ever.  That  is  the 
thought  that  pervades  the  whole.  The  voice  that 
"breaketh  the  cedars  of  Lebanon;  that  maketh  the 
mountains  to  skip  like  a  young  unicorn ;  that  shaketh 
the  wilderness  of  Kadesh;"  that  maketh  irrational 
creatures  labour  with  premature  pains;  that  strip- 
peth  the  forests  of  their  attire,  and  sendeth  forked 
lightnings  to  every  part  of  the  heavens  and  of  the 
earth  in  an  instant — that  voice  is  only  the  voice  of  a 
Father  to  all  those  who  have  forsaken  their  sins,  and 
taken  refuge  in  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  Christ.  All 
His  power  is  theirs,  theirs  to  protect  and  bless  them 
for  ever.  The  great  question  then  for  us  to  settle  is, 
the  relation  in  which  we  stand  to  this  great  Being 
whose  voice  is  so  powerful.  Are  we  his,  and  is  he 
curs'?  Is  his  law  written  in  our  hearts,  and  exempli- 
fied in  our  lives'?  The  time  is  coming  when  his 
voice  will  shake,  not  Lebanon  only,  and  Sirion,  and 
the  wilderness  of  Kadesh,  but  the  whole  heavens 
and  the  whole  earth,  removing  them  out  of  their 
places  as  he  descends  to  judgment.  Does  his  Spirit 
bear  testimony  with  and  to  our  spirits  that  we  shall 
then  meet  him  in  peace'? — meet  him  as  our  God  and 
Friend"? 

It  has  been  mentioned,  that  though  the  storm 
passed  through  the  holy  land  and  over  the  holy 
mount,  it  seemed  to  have  done  them  no  harm.  And 
what,  do  you  suppose,  robbed  it  of  all  its  power 
to  do  any  harm  on  the  holy  mountain'?  The  blood  of 
atonement  flowing  there!     And  that  blood  alone,  be- 


368  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

loved  reader,  can  save  you  or  me.  Moreover,  there 
is  but  one  place  in  the  universe  where  that  blood 
has  flowed,  consequently  but  one  place  in  the  uni- 
verse where  you  can  be  safe — and  that  is  upon  Cal- 
vary— sin-atoning,  wrath-averting  Calvary.  There 
only  is  there  any  safety  for  you  from  the  storm  of 
final  wrath.  But  standing  upon  that  mount,  dyed  in 
blood  that  flowed  from  Immanuel's  veins,  you,  and 
all  standing  there  with  you,  will  escape  unscathed  a 
storm  that  will  sweep  away  the  whole  word  beside, 
and  never  end! 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXX. 

The  title  of  this  psalm  reads,  "A  psalm  and  song  of 
the  dedication  of  the  house  of  David."  This  is  evi- 
dently an  incorrect  reading.  It  should  read,  "A 
psalm  of  David:  a  song  of  the  dedication  of  the 
house."  The  house  at  whose  dedication  this  song 
was  sung,  was  not  any  house  of  David's,  but  Mount 
Moriah,  the  piece  of  ground  divinely  selected  as  the 
place  whereon  the  temple,  the  house  of  God,  should 
be  subsequently  built.  Of  this  ground  David  him- 
self says,  having  erected  thereon  only  an  altar  unto 
the  Lord,  "  This  is  the  house  of  the  Lord  God,  and 
this  is  the  altar  of  the  burnt-offering  for  Israel." 
1  Chron.  xxii,  1.  It  was  an  open  space,  yet  David 
speaks  of  it  as  the  house  of  the  Lord  God.  Jacob, 
too,  in  speaking  of  a  place — though  it  had  no  cover- 
ing but  the  skies — where  God  had  made  special 
manifestation   of  his   character  to  him,  says  of  it, 


PSALM   XXX.  369 

"  This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  this 
is  the  gate  of  heaven."  Gen.  xxviii.  17.  The  history 
of  our  psalm  will,  however,  make  it  plain  to  every 
one,  at  the  consecration  of  what  house  this  song  was 
sung.  Its  history  is  recorded  in  the  twenty-fourth 
chapter  of  the  second  book  of  Samuel;  also  in  the 
twenty-first  chapter  of  the  first  book  of  Chronicles, 
and  the  first  verse  of  the  twenty-second  chapter. 
David  had  fallen  into  a  state  of  great  spiritual  de- 
clension during  the  long  prosperity  vsdth  which  he 
had  been  blessed.  He  had,  in  a  great  measure,  for- 
gotten that  the  Lord  was  his  strength,  and  was  look- 
ing to  the  multitude  of  his  people  as  his  great  reli- 
ance and  defence.  He  had  evidently  become  proud 
and  vainglorious  in  spirit,  and,  being  in  this  mood, 
Satan  was  permitted,  in  order  to  punish  him  for  his 
o-svn  sin  and  his  people  for  theirs,  (see  2  Sam. 
xxiv.  1,)  to  move  him  to  take  the  census  of  his 
people,  in  order  to  ascertain  his  military  strength, 
how  many  soldiers  he  could  upon  an  emergency 
bring  into  the  field.  This  was  distrusting  the  power 
of  Him  who  is  able  to  save  by  few  as  well  as  by 
many,  and  was,  besides,  virtually  rejecting  him  as 
being  specially  the  God  and  protector  of  Israel.  No 
sooner,  therefore,  had  the  census  been  taken,  than 
David  was  made  conscious  of  his  sin;  his  heart  smote 
him  for  what  he  had  done,  and  the  prophet  Gad 
was  sent  to  give  him,  in  the  name  of  God,  the  choice 
of  one  of  three  modes  of  being  punished;  three  years' 
famine ;  three  months'  fiight  before  his  enemies ;  or, 
three  days'  pestilence.  David  chose  the  pestilence, 
saying,  "  Let  me  now  fall  into  the  hand  of  the  Lord ; 
for  very  great  are  his  mercies:  but  let  me  not  fall 
into  the  hand  of  man.    Having  made  this  choice,  the 


370  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

pestilence  prevailed  throughout  all  the  coasts  of 
Israel,  and  seventy  thousand  had  already  perished, 
when  "  God  sent  an  angel  unto  Jerusalem  to  destroy 
it;  and  as  he  was  destroying,  the  Lord  beheld,  and 
he  repented  him  of  the  evil,  and  said  to  the  angel 
that  destroyed.  It  is  enough,  stay  now  thine  hand. 
And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  over  the  threshing- 
floor  of  Oman  the  Jebusite.  And  David  lifted  up 
his  eyes,  and  saw  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stand  be- 
tween the  earth  and  the  heaven,  having  a  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand,  stretched  out  over  Jerusalem; 
then  David  and  the  elders  of  Israel,  being  clothed  in 
sackcloth,  fell  upon  their  faces.  And  David  said 
unto  God,  Is  it  not  I  that  commanded  the  people  to 
be  numbered'?  even  I  it  is  that  have  sinned  and  done 
evil  indeed:  but  as  for  these  sheep,  what  have  they 
done^  Let  thine  hand,  I  pray  thee,  O  Lord  my 
God,  be  on  me,  and  on  my  father's  house :  but  not 
on  thy  people,  that  they  should  be  plagued.  Then 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  commanded  the  prophet  to  say 
to  David,  that  David  should  go  up,  and  set  up  an 
altar  unto  the  Lord  in  the  threshing-floor  of  Oman 

the  Jebusite,  on  Mount  Moriah And  David 

builded  there  an  altar  imto  the  Lord,  and  ofi'ered 
burnt-off'erings  and  peace-ofierings,  and  called  upon 
the  Lord;  and  the  Lord  answered  him  from  heaven 
by  fire  upon  the  altar  of  bumt-ofi'ering.  And  the 
Lord  commanded  the  angel ;  and  he  put  up  his  sword 
again  into  the  sheath  thereof.  And  when  David 
saw  that  the  Lord  had  answered  him  in  the  thresh- 
ing-floor of  Oman  the  Jebusite,  then  he  sacrificed 
there;"  and  said,  "This  is  the  house  of  the  Lord  God; 
and  this  is  the  altar  of  burnt-offering  for  Israel." 
Such  is  the  history  of  the  psalm  now  before  us:   a 


PSALM   XXX.  87t 

history  which  explains  the  title  as  referring  to  the 
selection  and  consecration  of  the  ground  upon  which 
the  temple  was  subsequently  built,  and  gives  us  also 
a  key  to  the  better  understanding  of  the  whole.  The 
pestilence  having  been  so  suddenly  stayed,  and  he 
himself  spared,  after  the  sword  of  the  destroying 
angel  was  stretched  out  over  him,  David  could  well 
open  the  psalm  as  he  does. 

Verse  1.     I  will  extol  thee,  0  Lord;  for  thou  hast  lifted  me  up, 
and  hast  not  made  my  foes  to  rejoice  over  me. 

It  certainly  becomes  us  to  exalt  God  when  he 
exalts  us,  and  to  let  our  songs  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving to  him,  be  proportionate  to  the  greatness  of 
his  mercies  to  us.  This  is  what  David  does  here. 
His  theme  is  the  mercy  of  God,  not  following  but 
arresting  wrath.  Just  now  the  pestilence  that  walk- 
eth  in  darkness,  and  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at 
noon-day,  was  doing  its  worst.  Its  work,  however, 
is  now  ended,  and  his  people,  whom  his  pride  and 
vainglory  had  caused  to  be  so  sorely  visited,  rejoice 
in  the  salvation  of  the  Lord.  He  had  grieved  over 
them  as  a  father  grieves  over  the  sufferings  of  chil- 
dren, of  whose  sufferings  he  himself  had  been  the 
guilty  cause.  What  language  then  can  adequately 
express  the  greatness  of  his  gratitude  when  the 
Divine  wrath  was  in  an  instant  turned  both  from 
himself  and  them;  God,  at  the  same  moment,  put- 
ting an  end  to  the  rejoicing  of  his  enemies,  and  the 
sorrows  of  himself  and  friends.  David's  enemies  had 
hoped  to  have  seen  him  and  his  kingdom  utterly 
consumed:  but  behold,  though  brought  so  low,  they 
have  risen  and  stand  upright!  So  shall  it  ever  be 
with  all,  however  grievously  they  have  sinned,  who 
sincerely  repent  them  of  their  sins. 


372  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Verse  2.     0  Lord  my  God,  I  cried  unto  thee,  and  tliou  hasfc 
healed  me, 

David  still  speaks  of  the  Lord  as  his  God,  though 
he  had  sinned  so  against  him.  It  is  well  for  us  when 
our  sins  do  not  drive  us  away  from  God  in  despair, 
but  only  send  us  back  to  him  in  haste,  with  impor- 
tunate cries  for  mercy.  "Thou  hast  healed  me." 
We  have  no  evidence  that  David  had  been  touched 
by  the  power  of  the  pestilence.  The  healing,  then, 
of  which  he  here  speaks,  must  have  been  the  healing 
of  the  wounds  inflicted  upon  his  soul  by  sin.  Sin 
diseases  the  soul,  and  infuses  spiritual  sickness  into 
its  every  faculty.  This  sin-sickness  of  the  soul,  in 
David's  case,  God  healed  when  he  forgave  him  the 
sin  that  had  induced  it.  God  is  the  soul's  physician, 
as  well  as  its  lawgiver  and  Judge;  and  where  he 
pardons  sin  as  a  crime,  he  cures  the  soul  of  it  as  a 
disease,  and  restores  it  to  spiritual  health. 

Verse  3.    0  Lord,  thou  hast  brought  up  my  soul  from  the  grave : 
thou  hast  kept  me  alive,  that  I  should  not  go  down  to  the  pit. 

So  great  were  David's  sorrow  and  remorse  at  the 

recollection  of  his  misconduct,  and  grief  at  the  sight 

of  the  evil  it  had  brought  upon  his  people,  that  it 

seemed  to  him  that  he  could  not  bear  up  under  them, 

that  he  must  die.     His  words  are  like  those  of  the 

Saviour,  when  he  began  to  taste,  in  all  its  bitterness, 

the  cup  of  our  sins:  "  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful, 

even  unto  death."  Matt.  xxvi.  38.     So  David  felt 

here:  he  felt  as  if  he  could  not  survive  the  weight  of 

grief  pressing  upon  his  soul;  he  seemed  to  himself 

to  be  descending  into  the  grave.     Nevertheless,  the 

Lord  sustained  him,  and  kept  him  alive.    Nor  did  he 

keep  him  simply  alive,  but  brought  him  up  from  the 

pit's  yawning  mouth,  full  of  joy  and  gladness.    When 


PSALM  XXX.  373 

God  speaks  peace  to  the  soul,  he  does  it  effectually. 
It  is  a  happy  thing  for  us  that  he  does  so,  otherwise 
the  sight  of  our  sins,  in  all  their  evil  consequences 
to  ourselves  and  others,  would  overwhelm  us. 

Verse  4.  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  0  ye  saints  of  his,  and  give  thanks 
at  the  remembrance  of  his  holiness. 

God's  grace  and  mercy  are  all  the  outgoings  of 
"his  holiness;"  and  all  those  who  have  been  made 
the  recipients  of  his  grace  and  mercy,  are  here  called 
upon  to  "sing  and  give  thanks  at  the  remembrance 
of  his  hohness."  God's  holiness  is  the  eternal  and 
immutable  rectitude  of  his  nature,  a  rectitude  of 
nature  that  raises  him  infinitely  above  being  moved 
by  anything  like  to  human  passion,  and  makes  him 
infinitely  intent  upon  promoting  the  everlasting  wel- 
fare of  his  creatures.  His  holiness  is  therefore,  in 
one  sense,  his  creatures'  only  hope.  It  harmonizes 
all  his  other  attributes,  and  gives  them  direction, 
force,  and  efficiency.  It  permeates  the  whole  as  their 
great  element  of  life.  His  love  is  a  holy  love,  his 
justice  a  holy  justice,  his  mercy  a  holy  mercy.  It  is, 
however,  as  connected  with  his  forgiving  mercy  as 
one  of  its  effluxes,  that  David  here  calls  upon  his 
saints  to  sing  and  give  thanks  to  God  "  at  the  remem- 
brance of  his  holiness" — 

Verse  5.  For  his  anger  endureth  but  a  moment;  in  his  favour 
is  life:  weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in 
the  morning. 

Such  is  the  lot  of  the  people  of  God:  their  sorrows, 
as  compared  with  their  joys,  are  but  as  a  moment  to 
the  whole  life;  and  even  if  their  whole  earthly  life 
were  a  life  of  sorrow,  it  would  still  be  but  as  a  mo- 
ment, when  compared  with  the  joys  before  them  in 
32 


374  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

eternity:  "For  our  light  affliction,"  writes  St,  Paul, 
"which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  2  Cor. 
iv.  17.  "Weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy 
Cometh  in  the  morning."  This  is  the  great  consola- 
tion of  the  children  of  God:  no  night  can  ever  come 
upon  them,  which  shall  not  have  its  morning,  if  not 
in  this  world,  yet  certainly  in  the  world  to  come. 
How  different  from  the  night  which  will  at  last  close 
in  on  those  who  are  not  children  of  God!  a  night 
without  a  morning,  and  where  joy  never  follows 
weeping!  May  God  save  us  all  from  being  shrouded 
in  that  night ! 

Verse  6.  And  in  my  prosperity  I  said,  I  shall  never  be  moved. 
"  I  shall  never  be  moved."  This  David  said,  not 
because  his  faith  was  strong  in  God,  but  because  he 
was  prosperous.  His  prosperity  had  induced  a  feel- 
ing of  inordinate  self-reliance.  The  very  abundance 
of  the  blessings  with  which  God  had  blessed  him, 
had  caused  him  to  forget  where,  and  where  only,  his 
strength  lay.  He  now  sees  and  deplores  the  impiety 
of  this  thought  of  his  heart.  He  sees  in  it  the  real 
and  sufficient  cause  of  the  calamity  with  which  he 
had  been  visited.  If,  trusting  in  God,  he  had  said, 
"I  shall  never  be  moved,"  he  would  have  been  right; 
but  trusting  in  his  prosperity  to  give  stability  to  his 
affairs,  David  was  guilty  of  the  sin  of  idolatry. 

Verse  7.     Lord,  by  thy  favour  thou  hast  made  my  mountain  to 
stand  strong :  thou  didst  hide  thy  face,  and  I  was  troubled. 

The  mountain  of  which  David  speaks,  was  his 
kingdom:  this,  God  had  made  to  stand  strong;  had 
enriched  with  every  element  of  strength  and  stability. 
This,  David  had  virtually  forgotten,  and  was  thinking 
of  the  greatness  and  power  of  his  kingdom  as  the 


PSALM   XXX.  375 

result  of  his  own  prowess,  and  skill,  and  wise  manage- 
ment. And  how  soon  did  God  bring  a  change  over 
the  spirit  of  his  dream !  "  Thou,  Lord,  didst  hide  thy 
face,  and  I  was  troubled."  This  hiding  of  God's 
face  was  evinced  by  the  pestilence  destroying  seventy 
thousand  of  the  people  in  a  few  hours'  time.  It  was 
to  have  prevailed  throughout  three  entire  days,  but 
it  was  stayed  after  it  had  ravaged  through  only  nine 
of  the  seventy-two  hours.  It  was  the  multitude  of 
his  people  that  tempted  David  to  say  in  his  heart, 
"I  shall  never  be  moved:"  it  was  in  diminishing  this 
multitude  that  he  was  punished;  and  if  the  pestilence 
had  ravaged  for  the  whole  seventy-two  hours,  as  it 
did  the  nine,  David  would  have  found  that  his  king- 
dom could  be  not  only  moved,  but  swept  away.  Few 
of  us  reaUze  the  perils  of  prosperity.  It  induces  a 
forgetfulness  of  our  dependence  upon  the  grace  and 
providence  of  God,  and  leaves  us  to  think,  and  plan, 
and  act  only  for  this  life.  Then  it  is  that  God,  if  he 
wills  to  bring  us  to  our  senses,  sends  the  rod,  and 
often  in  the  most  sudden  and  overwhelming  manner, 
takes  away  from  us  that  which  had  drawn  our  hearts 
away  from  him. 

Verses  8,  9.  I  cried  to  thee,  0  Lord;  and  unto  tlie  Lord  I  made 
supplication.  What  profit  is  there  in  my  blood,  when  I  go 
down  to  the  pit?  Shall  the  dust  praise  thee?  shall  it  declare 
thy  truth  ? 

The  sentiment  of  David's  heart  was  like  to  that  of 
Job,  "  though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him." 
He  addresses  his  prayer  to  Him  who  was  chastening 
him,  and  while  he  was  chastening  him.  Even  then 
did  he  cry  and  make  supplication  unto  the  Lord. 
He  repeats,  too,  some  of  the  words  that  he  used  in 


376  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

his  prayer.  He  deprecates  death  because  it  could 
in  nowise  profit  God — his  dust  could  not  praise  him 
and  declare  his  truth.  It  is  the  same  argument  for 
sparing  mercy  that  Hezekiah  used  in  his  prayer  unto 
the  Lord,  when  he  was  thought  to  be  sick  unto 
death,  saying,  "The  grave  cannot  praise  thee;  death 
cannot  celebrate  thee;  they  that  go  down  into  the  pit 
cannot  hope  for  thy  truth.  The  living,  the  living, 
he  shall  praise  thee,  as  I  do  this  day :  the  father  to 
the  children  shall  make  known  thy  truth."  Isa. 
xxxviii.  18,  19.  If  we  desire  to  live  only  that  we 
may  glorify  God  in  our  lives;  only  that  we  may  de- 
clare and  make  known  his  truth  to  the  world,  we 
may  with  propriety  ask  God  to  spare  us.  It  is  ask- 
ing life  for  the  highest  possible  purpose  for  which  it 
can  be  given. 

Verse  10.    Hear,  0  Lord,  and  have  mercy  upon  me:  Lord,  be 
thou  my  helper. 

This  is  substantially  the  same  prayer  as  the  cry 
and  supplication  of  the  last  verse.  Intense  emotion 
seldom  multipHes  words.  As  there  are  but  few 
words  that  can  give  it  adequate  utterance,  it  necessa- 
rily repeats  them.  Of  this  fact  we  have  an  illustra- 
tion in  the  Saviour  when  praying  in  an  agony  in  the 
garden.  Three  times  he  prayed,  offering  up  prayers 
and  supplications  with  strong  crying  and  tears,  and 
three  times  even  he  used  the  same  words.  Matt, 
xxvi.  44. 

Verse  11.     Thou  hast  turned  for  me  my  mourning  into  dancing: 
thou  hast  put  off  my  sackcloth  and  girded  me  with  gladness. 

David  and  the  elders  of  Israel,  when  they  saw  the 

angel  of  pestilence  stretching  out  his  sword   over 

Jerusalem,  being  clothed  in  sackcloth,  the  robe  of 


PSALM  XXX.  377 

penitence,  fell  upon  their  faces  before  the  Lord.  But 
David,  being  moved  thereto  by  the  word  of  the 
angel,  built,  on  the  mountain  over  which  the  angel 
stood  in  the  air,  an  altar  unto  the  Lord,  and  offered 
thereon  burnt-offerings  and  peace-offerings,  and  call- 
ed upon  the  Lord;  and  the  Lord  answered  him  from 
heaven  by  fire  upon  the  altar  of  burnt-offering. 
1  Chron.  xx.  15-26.  This  descent  of  fire  from  hea- 
ven was  visible  and  palpable  evidence  to  David's 
mind  that  his  prayers  had  been  heard,  his  offerings 
accepted,  and  the  plague  stayed.  The  sight  of  it, 
therefore,  instantaneously  turned  his  mourning  into 
dancing,  his  sorrow  into  joy  and  gladness,  his  robe  of 
penitence  into  garments  of  praise.  His  sacrifices 
and  offerings  had  been  consumed  in  the  same  way  in 
which  those  placed  upon  the  altar  of  the  tabernacle 
had  been  consumed  at  the  beginning  of  its  services 
in  the  wilderness.  Lev.  ix.  24.  David  knew,  there- 
fore, that  God  was  reconciled,  and  his  wrath  turned 
away.  And  now,  what  improvement  of  God's 
sparing  and  forgiving  mercy,  thus  signally  manifested 
to  himself  and  people,  does  David  propose  to  make  1 
The  best  improvement  possible:  that  is,  that  hence- 
forth he  \vill  set  no  limits  to  his  praise  of  God,  and 
this  he  will  do,  because  God  had  spared  him  for  this 
very  end — 

Verse  12.  To  the  end  that  my  glory  may  sing  praise  to  thee, 
and  not  be  silent.  0  Lord  my  God,  I  will  give  thanks  unto 
thee  for  ever. 

Having  prayed  in  the  ninth  verse  that  he  might 

be  spared  to  praise  God,  and  having  had  his  prayer 

signally   answered,    David   here   promises  that   his 

praises  and  thanksgivings  to  God  shall  be  perpetual. 

32* 


378  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

His  glory,  that  is  to  say,  his  tongue  that  gives  utter- 
ance to  the  emotions  of  a  soul  made  in  the  image  of 
God,  shall  not  be  silent,  but  be  continually  sounding 
forth  the  praises  of  God's  grace  and  mercy,  truth  and 
goodness.  Nor  was  this  a  vain  promise  on  David's 
part.  Henceforth  to  the  end  of  his  Hfe,  his  walk 
with  God  was  closer  than  it  had  ever  been  before. 
Moreover,  having  selected  and  consecrated  a  site  for 
the  temple,  the  place  where  the  angel  of  the  pesti- 
lence had  stayed  its  ravages,  and  returned  its  sword 
to  its  scabbard,  David  employed  the  greater  part  of 
the  remainder  of  his  days  in  collecting  together  the 
vast  and  costly  materials  to  be  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  sacred  edifice.  He  laboured  to  make  it 
sure  that  the  temple  should  stand  upon  Mount 
Moriah,  where  his  altar  stood  and  the  pestilence 
ceased,  as  a  monument  and  memorial  to  all  genera- 
tions of  the  forgiving  mercy  of  God  to  his  people. 
And  now,  beloved  reader,  can  we  recall  no  instances 
of  God's  sparing  and  forgiving  mercy  to  us,  which 
should  move  us,  as  it  moved  David,  to  a  holier  walk 
and  a  more  useful  life  1  Can  we  recall  no  instances  in 
which,  if  God  had  dealt  with  us  in  justice  rather  than 
in  mercy,  we  must  have  perished  1  Depend  upon  it, 
that  all  time  not  spent  in  the  service  of  God  is  time 
misspent,  and  worse  than  lost.  Time  not  so  spent  will 
meet  us  at  the  judgment,  terrible  as  the  ghost  of  a 
murdered  friend,  and  haunt  us  through  eternity  with 
ceaseless  upbraidings. 


PSALM  XXXI.  379 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM   XXXL 

Verse  1.     In  thee,  0  Lord,  do  I  put  my  trust;  let  me  never  be 
ashamed :  deliver  me  in  thy  righteousness. 

David's  prayer  for  deliverance  in  this  verse  is  based 
upon  the  assumption  that  it  is  a  righteous  thing  in 
God  to  deliver  those  who  have  put  their  trust  in 
him.  He  takes  it  for  granted  that  the  righteousness 
of  God  will  not  allow  such  to  be  put  to  shame,  to  be 
disappointed  in  their  hopes  of  his  mercy.  This  is  a 
feeling  that  cannot  be  dislodged  from  the  believer's 
heart.  However  unworthy  he  may  feel  himself  to 
be,  and  however  imperfectly — though  he  hopes  with 
sincere  endeavour — he  may  have  served  him,  the  be- 
liever cannot  but  feel  that  a  righteous  God  must  and 
will  make  a  difference  between  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked;  between  him  that  serveth  God,  and  him 
that  serveth  him  not.  This  is  evidently  the  feeUng 
that  pervades  and  animates  David's  cry  for  deliver- 
ance in  the  verse  before  us.  It  springs,  not  from  any 
sense  of  worthiness  in  himself,  but  from  the  feeKnjr 
that  God  cannot  fail  to  help  those  who  fear  him,  and 
hope  in  his  mercy.  It  is  a  feeling  justified  by  the 
teachings  of  God's  word  everywhere. 

Verse  2.     Bow  down  thine  ear  to  me:  deliver  me  speedily:  be 
thou  my  strong  rock,  for  an  house  of  defence  to  save  me. 

David's  danger  here  is  imminent;  it  presses  hard 

upon  him;  and  unless  help  comes  speedily,  he  feels 

that  all  will  be  over  with  him.     There  was  many  a 

time  in  his  history  when  there  seemed   to  be  but 

a  step  between  him  and  death.     At  such  times  his 

prayer  was  no  doubt  the  prayer  of  the  verse  before 

us:  "Bow  down  thine  ear  to  me;  hear  me  speedily: 


380  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

be  thou  my  strong  rock,  for  an  house  of  defence  to 
save  me."  When  dangers  press  upon  the  soul,  and 
threaten  it  with  destruction,  God  is  the  only  rock 
upon  which  it  can  stand  secure;  his  omnipotent  love 
the  only  house  of  defence  in  which  it  can  take  refuge 
and  be  safe. 

Verse  3.     For  thou  art  my  rock  and  my  fortress:  therefore,  for 
thy  name's  sake,  lead  me  and  guide  me. 

What  David  prays  in  the  preceding  verse  that  the 
Lord  would  be  to  him,  he  here  declares  that  he  is — 
namely,  his  Rock  and  Fortress.  On  this  relation 
between  himself  and  God  he  grounds  the  prayer, 
"  therefore,  for  thy  name's  sake,  lead  me  and  guide 
me."  God  had  certainly  glorified  his  name,  and 
especially  his  attributes  of  truth  and  mercy,  in  the 
many  deliverances  he  had  wrought  for  David;  and 
David  prays  that  he  would  still  glorify  it  by  adding 
another  to  His  many  deliverances  of  him.  "For  thy 
name's  sake  lead  me,  and  guide  me!"  A  thought 
how  full  of  comfort  and  encouragement  do  we  find  in 
these  words! — that  God  will,  for  his  name's  sake — 
moved  to  it  merely  by  the  regard  that  he  has  for  his 
own  character  and  glory,  "  lead  us  and  guide  us  in 
the  way  wherein  we  should  go." 

Verse  4.     Pull  me  out  of  the  net  that  they  have  laid  privily  for 
me  :  for  thou  art  my  strength. 

It  was  through  the  strength  of  God  alone  that 
David  could  escape  being  caught  in  the  net  privily 
spread  everywhere  to  ensnare  him.  The  case  is  not 
otherwise  with  any  of  us.  We  can  escape  the  snares 
of  evil  spread  everywhere  in  this  world,  only  as  we 
escape  them  in  the  strength  of  God.  His  grace 
alone  is  sufficient  for  us. 


PSALM   XXSI.  381 

Verse  5.     Into  thy  hand  I  commit  my  spirit:   thou  hast  re- 
deemed me,  0  Lord  God  of  truth. 

It  was  his  knowledge  of  God  as  the  God  of  truth 
that  emboldened  David  to  commit  his  life  and  soul 
to  his  keeping.  He  was  confident  that  God  could 
never  falsify  any  promise  of  help  that  he  made  to  his 
people;  and  that,  having  promised  to  deliver  the 
righteous  man  out  of  all  his  troubles,  he  would  make 
his  promise  good.  He  therefore  casts  himself  upon 
this  promise,  and  commits  his  spirit  into  God's  hand. 
These  words  are  foimd  elsewhere.  David's  Divine 
Son  repeated  them  on  the  cross  the  moment  before 
he  bowed  his  head  and  gave  up  the  ghost,  saying, 
"Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 
Luke  xxiii.  46.  This  is  the  glorious  privilege  of  the 
believer — to  commit  his  soul — when  heart  and  flesh 
are  failing  him — to  commit  his  soul  into  the  hands 
of  the  God  of  truth,  the  God  who  will  never  disap- 
point any  hope  excited  in  the  minds  of  his  creatures 
by  any  of  his  great  and  precious  promises. 

Verse  6.     I  have  hated  them  that  regard  lying  vanities:  but  I 
trust  in  the  Lord. 

David  here  contrasts  the  God  in  whom  he  trusts 
with  the  gods  in  whom  the  heathen  trust.  The  God 
in  whom  he  trusts  is  the  God  of  truth ;  the  gods  in 
whom  they  trust  are  lying  vanities.  The  object  of 
his  trust  is  the  Lord,  the  great  I  AM;  the  Fountain 
of  all  being  and  all  bliss.  The  object  of  their  trust 
is — nothing — senseless  idols,  in  which  their  votaries 
trust  only  to  be  deceived  and  disappointed  in  their 
hopes.  And  there  is  still  the  same  contrast  between 
the  Christian's  trust  and  the  worldling's  trust  now, 
that  there  was  in  David's  day.  The  Christian,  trust- 
ing in  the  Lord  as  his  fountain  of  good,  is  never 


882  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

disappointed ;  the  wordling,  trusting  in  earthly  things 
as  his  fountain  of  good,  never  fails  to  be  disappoint- 
ed; so  entirely  so,  that  after  the  world  has  given  him 
everything  that  it  has  in  its  power  to  bestow,  he  is 
obliged  to  inscribe  on  the  whole,  "  vanity  and  vexa- 
tion of  spirit." 

Verses  7,  8.  I  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  thy  mercy:  for  thou 
hast  considered  my  trouble;  thou  hast  known  my  soul  in 
adversities;  and  hast  not  shut  me  up  into  the  hand  of  the 
enemy;  thou  hast  set  my  feet  in  a  large  room. 

David  has  many  reasons  for  being  glad  and  re- 
joicing in  the  mercy  of  the  Lord.  His  eye  of  love 
had  been  upon  him  in  adversities;  he  had  been  a 
present  help  to  him  in  trouble ;  he  had  not  left  him 
to  be  overcome  by  the  enemy  that  he  most  feared, 
but  had  made  his  feet  to  stand  in  a  place  where  he 
could  move  freely  and  in  safety.  He  is  supposed 
to  refer  here  to  the  deliverances  wrought  out  for  him 
by  the  Lord  from  the  hand  of  Saul.  And  let  us  all 
remember  that  every  one  of  us  has  his  Saul — Satan, 
with  his  myriads  of  emissaries,  seeking  our  destruc- 
tion. If  God  delivers  us  not  out  of  his  hand,  we 
perish.  If  He  be  not  with  us  when  trouble  and  ad- 
versities come  on  us,  we  shall  be  overcome. 

Verse  9.  Have  mercy  upon  me,  0  Lord,  for  I  am  in  trouble 
mine  eye  is  consumed  with  grief,  yea,  my  soul  and  my  belly. 

How  sore  David's  trouble,  from  which  he  prays  to 
be  delivered,  was,  we  may  infer  from  its  effects  upon 
his  body.  His  "  eye  was  consumed  by  the  grief"  that 
it  had  caused  him;  indeed,  his  whole  mental  and 
physical  nature  seemed  to  be  sinking  under  the 
weight  of  it.  There  is  no  sorrow  like  to  spiritual 
sorrow  in  its  depressing  effects  on  mind  and  body. 


PSALM  XXXI.  883 

Verse  10.  For  my  life  is  spent  witli  grief,  and  my  years  with 
sighing :  my  strength  faileth  because  of  mine  iniquity,  and 
my  hones  are  consumed. 

The  thought  and  sentiment  of  this  verse  are  nearly 
the  same  as  that  of  the  last,  only  that  we  have  added 
here  a  new  element  to  David's  sufferings — his  own 
iniquity.  "My  strength,"  says  he,  "faileth  me  be- 
cause of  mine  iniquity."  He  may  have  been  inno- 
cent and  righteous  in  regard  to  the  enemies  of  whom 
he  complains,  still  he  had  his  infirmities,  requiring, 
for  their  correction,  chastening  from  the  hand  of 
God.  The  consciousness  of  both  needing  and  deserv- 
ing this  chastening,  adds  greatly  to  his  grief.  His 
example  here  teaches  us  that,  in  making  complaints 
to  God  of  the  sins  of  others,  we  should  never  fail  to 
acknowledge  and  deplore  our  own.  "To  recognize," 
writes  another,  "in  our  sufferings  a  righteous  retri- 
bution, is  the  only  sure  foundation  on  which  the 
hope  of  deliverance  can  be  made  to  rest;  he  only 
who  can  say  with  the  heart,  'my  strength  is  broken 
because  of  my  guilt,'  will  be  able  to  utter  with  in- 
ward truth  the  prayer,  'deliver  me  for  thy  righteous- 
ness' sake.'  It  is  only  as  we  cast  off  all  righteous- 
ness of  our  own,  that  we  are  clothed  with  the  right- 
eousness of  God,  which  is  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ." 

Verse  11.  I  was  a  reproach  among  all  mine  enemies,  but  espe- 
cially among  my  neighbours,  and  a  fear  to  mine  acquaintance: 
they  that  did  see  me  without  fled  from  me. 

During  the  persecutions  that  he  experienced  at 
the  hands  of  Saul,  when  he  was  outlawed  and  a  price 
set  upon  his  head,  David's  enemies  reproached  him 
as  a  rebel;  his  neighbours  as  one  whose  presence 
among  them  would  involve  them  in  his  ruin.  He 
was  a  fear  to  his  acquaintances — that  is,  to  the  mem- 


S84  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

bers  of  his  own  family — lest  they  should  be  punished 
for  harbouring  him;  and  even  they  who  were  about 
to  meet  him  on  the  street,  fled  from  him,  to  avoid 
suspicion  of  being  implicated  in  his  guilt!  How 
keenly  must  David,  sensitive  as  his  mind  was,  have 
felt  this  abandonment  of  him  by  every  one!  There 
is  perhaps  hardly  any  earthly  suffering  greater  than 
that  of  a  generous  mind  under  universal  abandon- 
ment and  public  reproach.  This  was  David's  case, 
and  also  the  case  of  the  Divine  Son  of  David.  And 
their  case  has  been  the  case  of  many  a  good  man 
since,  meriting  nothing  but  good,  and  experiencing 
nothing  but  evil  at  the  hands  of  their  fellow-men. 

Verse  12.  I  am  forgotten  as  a  dead  man  out  of  mind;  I  am 
like  a  broken  vessel. 

Driven  alike  from  the  abode  of  friend  and  of  foe, 
and  avoided  by  all,  David  here  speaks  of  himself  as 
a  dead  man,  for  whom  nobody  cared;  out  of  sight, 
out  of  mind;  a  broken  vessel,  worthless,  and  to  be 
cast  away.  This  oblivious  contempt  of  all  who  knew 
him  seemed  to  David  quite  as  hard  to  be  borne  as 
their  hatred  and  persecution.  David  is  not  the  only 
good  man  whose  deeds  of  kindness  to  others  have 
been  forgotten  by  them  when  he  was  no  longer  to 
be  seen. 

Verse  13.  For  I  have  heard  the  slander  of  many:  fear  was  on 
every  side :  while  they  took  counsel  together  against  me,  they 
devised  to  take  away  my  life. 

What  excites  David's  fears  is  the  slander  of  the 
many.  They  do  their  worst  to  defame  him  with  the 
people,  that,  having  the  populace  on  their  side,  they 
can  safely  make  an  onset  upon  his  life.  This  is  pre- 
cisely the  course  that  the  Jews  pursued  toward  the 
Son  of  David.     The  rulers  dared  not  to  lay  their 


PSALM  xxxr.  386 

hands  upon  him  to  take  away  his  life,  till  they  had 
first  of  all,  by  the  tongue  of  slander,  depicted  him  to 
the  people  as  one  who  deserved  to  die. 

Such  is  David's  description  of  his  deplorable  con- 
dition, and  surely  it  is  a  condition  of  his  aJffairs  that 
justifies  his  prayer  to  God  in  the  second  verse  of  our 
psalm,  saying,  "Deliver  me  speedily!"  Situated  as 
he  was,  it  seemed  that  if  help  did  not  come  soon,  it 
would  come  too  late.  And  yet  his  faith  in  God  did 
not  fail,  for  he  adds,  in  the  next  verse  in  course: 

Verse  14.     But  I  trusted  in  tliee,  0  Lord:  I  said,  Thou  art 
my  Grod. 

However  sorely  pressed  by  his  enemies,  and  by 
the  consciousness  of  his  own  weakness  and  unwor- 
thiness,  David  had  not  wholly  despaired.  "Thou 
art  my  God,"  was  a  feeling  that  never  altogether  left 
his  heart.  He  sighs,  and  groans,  and  weeps,  and 
complains,  not  because  his  trust  in  God  had  failed 
him,  but  that  his  sighs,  and  groans,  and  tears,  and 
complaints  might  be  heard  by  Him  who  alone  could 
turn  them  into  songs  of  joy. 

Verse  15.     My  times  are  in  thy  hand:  deliver  me  from  the  hand 
of  mine  enemies,  and  from  them  that  persecute  me. 

"My  times  are  in  thy  hands,"  David  said  in  his 
trouble.  He  whose  times,  whose  fortunes,  are  in  the 
hand  of  God,  need  not  fear  what  man  can  do  unto 
him.  God  will  surely  be  present  at  every  crisis  in 
his  history,  to  turn — even  when  all  seems  to  be  lost 
— the  tide  in  his  favour. 

Verse  16.     Make  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  servant:  save  me 
for  thy  mercies'  sake. 

Because  he  is  his  servant,  and  for  his  mercies' 

sake,  David  prays  God  to  save  him.     God  can  never 

be  asked  in  vain  to  magnify  his  mercy  in  helping  one 

33 


386  LECTURES   ON   THE    PSALMS. 

who  is  truly  his  servant.  It  is  a  name  as  dear  to  his 
heart  as  that  of  child.  David  knew  this,  and  pleads 
the  relation  in  his  prayer. 

Verse  17.  Let  me  not  be  ashamed,  0  Lord:  for  I  have  called 
upon  thee :  let  the  wicked  be  ashamed,  and  let  them  be  silent 
in  the  grave. 

God  has  promised  to  hear  all  who  call  on  him 
with  heart-felt  confidence.  Of  this  promise  David 
here  reminds  him.  God  loves  to  have  his  promises 
plead  to  him.  His  pleasure  is  to  see  his  creatures 
take  him  at  his  word.  Their  doing  so  never  fails  to 
obtain  his  blessing.  "  Let  the  wicked  be  ashamed, 
and  let  them  be  silent  in  the  grave:"  ^.  e.,  be  over- 
whelmed with  the  doom  with  which  they  were  endea- 
vouring to  overwhelm  him;  and  this,  not  because 
they  were  his  enemies,  but  because  they  were  the 
enemies  of  God  and  righteousness.  As  such,  and 
only  as  such,  does  he  pray  that  they  may  descend  into 
the  silence  of  the  grave. 

Verse  18.  Let  the  lying  lips  be  put  to  silence,  which  speak 
grievous  things  proudly  and  contemptuously  against  the 
righteous. 

This  petition  is  one  that  every  good  man  may  re- 
iterate ;  that  all  lying  lips  may  be  put  to  silence,  all 
lips  that  proudly  and  contemptuously  utter  false- 
hoods against  the  righteous.  Such  persons,  if  they 
should  realize  their  hearts'  desire,  would  make  hea- 
ven a  fable,  and  earth  a  hell.  Such  has  been  the 
tendency  of  all  the  sayings  and  ^vritings  of  those  who 
have  opposed  the  religion  of  the  Son  of  David. 

Verse  19.  0  how  great  is  thy  goodness,  which  thou  hast  laid 
up  for  them  that  fear  thee:  which  thou  hast  wrought  for 
them  that  trust  in  thee  before  the  sons  of  men ! 

Here  prayer  has  turned  to  praise.  He  has  been 
heard,  and  the  full  assurance  of  faith  has  glided  into 


PSALM  XXXI.  387 

the  soul,  that  it  will  be  answered.  He  sees  that  God 
has,  as  it  were,  hoarded  his  goodness  for  them  that 
fear  him;  and  manifests  it  toward  them,  before  the 
sons  of  men,  and  in  such  a  way  that  their  very  ene- 
mies cannot  but  see  that  God  is  with  them. 

Verse  20.  Thou  shalt  hide  them  in  the  secret  of  thy  presence 
from  the  pride  of  man;  thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a 
pavilion  from  the  strife  of  tongues. 

The  pride  of  man  can  never  reach,  to  do  them 
harm,  those  who  have  put  their  trust  in  God;  nor 
the  strife  of  tongues,  to  destroy  their  fair  fame.  The 
invisible,  yet  real,  presence  of  God  around  them,  is 
as  a  hiding-place  that  effectually  conceals  them,  and 
as  a  pavihon  that  surrounds,  overshadows,  and  shel- 
ters them. 

Verse  21.  Blessed  be  the  Lord;  for  he  hath  showed  me  his  mar- 
vellous kindness  in  a  strong  city. 

What  David  says  in  the  two  preceding  verses  of 
the  goodness  of  God  to  all  who  fear  him  and  trust  in 
him,  he  here  affirms  to  have  been  verified  by  his  own 
personal  experience.  David's  "strong  city"  was  God 
himself,  surrounding  him  on  every  side  as  a  wall  of 
brass  against  his  enemies.  Though  he  stood  alone 
in  the  world,  and  with  every  man's  hand  against 
him,  God  enabled  him  to  feel  as  secure  under  his 
protection  as  he  would  have  felt  in  an  impregnable 
fortress. 

Verse  22.  For  I  said  in  my  haste,  I  am  cut  off  from  before 
thine  eyes;  nevertheless  thou  heardest  the  voice  of  my  sup- 
plications when  I  cried  unto  thee. 

"For  I  said  in  my  haste,  I  am  cut  off  from  before 
thine  eyes:" — yes,  the  same  man  who  is  now  so 
strong  in  faith  and  confident  in  the  protection  of 
God,   once  was   so  overcome  by  his  fears  that  he 


388  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

thouglit  himself  lost,  cast  out  of  God's  sight,  and  for- 
gotten by  him.  This  is  a  phase  of  faith  by  no  means 
uncommon.  The  strongest  believer  is  not  without 
his  seasons  when  fear  and  trembling  seize  on  him. 
Such  seasons  with  him,  however,  will  be  of  brief 
duration.  He  will  soon  be  enabled  to  say  with 
David,  "Nevertheless  thou  heardest  the  voice  of  my 
supplications  when  I  cried  imto  thee." 

Verse  23.     0  love  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  saints:  for  the  Lord  prc- 
serveth  the  faithful,  and  plentifully  rewardeth  the  proud  doer. 

The  difference  that  God  makes  between  the  right- 
eous and  the  wicked,  between  the  humble  believer 
and  the  proud  evil-doer,  is  certainly  cause  for  the 
most  ardent  love  to  God  on  the  part  of  his  people. 
It  is  a  difference  that  proclaims  him  to  be  indeed  the 
righteous  Governor  of  the  universe,  and  that  the  soul 
can  therefore  safely  entrust  itself  in  his  hands  for 
time  and  for  eternity. 

Verse  24.     Be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen  your 
heart,  all  ye  that  hope  in  the  Lord. 

Such  is  the  improvement  which  David  exhorts  all 
those  who  hope  in  the  Lord,  to  make  of  the  history  of 
his  trials  and  triumphs,  sorrows  and  joys,  as  that  his- 
tory is  given  to  us  in  the  psalm  before  us.  However 
dark  the  cloud  that  overshadows  us,  he  teaches  us  to 
think  of  God  as  seeing  through  it.  However  sorely 
we  may  be  oppressed  with  guilt,  he  teaches  us  still  to 
think  of  God  as  being,  through  the  merits  of  his  Son 
infinitely  more  merciful  than  we  can  possibly  be 
sinful.  However  bitterly  men  may  persecute  us,  and 
cast  out  our  name  as  evil,  he  teaches  us  to  think  of 
God  as  able  to  dehver  from  the  strife  of  tongues. 
The  import  of  the  whole  is,  that  the  word  despair 
should  never  be  found  in  the  vocabulary  of  those 


PSALM  XXXII.  889 

who  hope  in  the  Lord.  He  has  given  ns  the  history  of 
his  trials  in  order  to  show  us  what  trials  the  Lord 
can  and  will  carry  the  believer  through.  And  surely, 
the  Lord  having  carried  him  triumphantly  through 
such  trials  as  are  described  in  this  psalm,  David 
could  well  close  it  only  as  he  does,  "Be  of  good 
courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen  your  heart,  all  ye 
that  hope  in  the  Lord." 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXXIL 

The  occasion  of  the  writing  of  this  psalm  was,  no 
doubt,  the  same  as  that  of  the  fifty-first.  David  did 
that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and 
turned  not  aside  from  anything  that  he  commanded 
him,  all  the  days  of  his  life,  save  only  in  the  matter 
of  Uriah  the  Hittite.  1  Kings  xv.  5.  In  that  matter 
he  sinned  sadly.  In  an  evil  hour  he  had  yielded  to 
the  solicitations  of  lust,  and,  to  conceal  his  crime, 
had  added  to  his  guilt  by  slaying  the  man  whose 
wife  he  had  robbed  of  her  innocence.  David  knew 
too  well  the  turpitude  of  his  crimes  to  leave  his  con- 
science at  ease.  For  a  long  time,  however,  he  seems 
not  to  have  made  a  full,  unqualified,  and  hearty  con- 
fession of  them  to  God.  The  consequence  was,  that 
there  was  not  a  more  miserable  man  on  earth  than 
David.  If  you  would  ascertain  the  mind  in  which 
the  pangs  of  remorse  are  keenest  and  most  insuffera- 
ble, go  not  to  the  man  hardened  in  sin,  but  to  the 
sincere  believer,  who,  in  an  evil  hour,  has  yielded  to 
temptation  and  sinned.  He  suffers  an  anguish  of 
33* 


Z9$  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

spirit  that  no  other  can.  He  has  sinned  against  light 
and  grace,  and  that  fact  exhibits  his  sin  to  him  in  an 
aspect  that  is  truly  appalling.  It  makes  an  impres- 
sion upon  his  mind  that  it  makes  upon  none  beside  ; 
it  fiUs  him  with  terrors  with  which  it  fills  none  be- 
side; for  he  sees  his  sin  as  no  other  can  see  it — with 
eyes  that  have  been  enlightened  from  above.  He 
knows  that  sin  is  no  trifle;  he  reahzes  it  to  be  what 
God  himself  has  pronounced  it  to  be,  "an  evil  and  a 
bitter  thing."  How  evil,  and  how  bitter,  David  tells 
us  in  portions  of  the  psalm  now  before  us.  Soul  and 
body  felt  its  consuming  power.  An  accusing  con- 
science tied  his  tongue,  so  that  he  could  not  pray. 
The  awful  conviction  of  Cain  seems  for  a  time  to 
have  fastened  upon  his  soul,  that  his  sin  was  too 
great  to  be  forgiven.  At  length,  however,  he  is 
brought  to  repentance  and  a  better  mind.  The  fear- 
ful crisis  in  his  moral  history  is  passed,  and  the  peace 
of  God  again  flows  into  his  soul  with  a  sweetness  and 
power  to  which  he  gives  utterance  in  the  words, 

Verse  1.     Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven,  whose 
sin  is  covered. 

"Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee;  go  in  peace,"  are 

words  which  have  at  length  been  spoken,  and  he 

feels  their  magic  power  in  every  faculty  of  his  soul. 

He  is  another  man!     God  has  restored  unto  him  the 

joy  of  his  salvation,  and  is  upholding  him  with  his 

free  Spirit.    The  darkness  that  filled  his  soul  is  gone; 

the  conscience  that  so  tortured  him  is  at  ease.     The 

heavens  that  so  frowned  upon  him  are  again  radiant 

with  smiles.     The  abyss  that  yawned  at  his  feet  is 

closed.     He   breathes  free   again,  and  realizes   the 

truth  of  God's  description  of  Himself  as  given  to 

^^   Moses:  "The  Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gra- 


PSALM   XXXII.  391 

cioiis,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness  and 
truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  ini- 
quity, transgression,  and  sin."   Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7. 
Only  those  who  have  at  length  realized  some  great 
hope  long  deferred,  can  fully  enter  into  David's  feel- 
ings when  he   uttered   the  words,   "Blessed   is  he 
whose  transgression  is  forgiven,  whose  sin  is  cover- 
ed."    What  a  weight  had  been  lifted  from  his  soul! 
what  a  sight  had  been  hidden  from  his  eyes!     His 
transgression   was   forgiven,   his    sin   was   covered! 
Justice,  with  flaming  sword,  no  longer  stood  between 
him  and  the  tree  of  life.     Guilty,  indeed,  he  knows 
himself  to  be — that  he  does  not  deny,  but  confesses ; 
but   where    sin    abounded,   grace    did   much   more 
abound.     The  recollection  of  his  sin  now  remains,\ 
not  to  terrify,  torment,  and  consume  him,  but  only  1 
to  excite  the  intensest  gratitude  to  Him  who  has  for-  \ 
given  it.     David  has  been  forgiven  much,  and  he  ' 
loves  much. 

Verse  2.     Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord  imputeth  not 
iniquity,  and  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile. 

"Imputeth  not  iniquity."  When  the  Lord  for- 
gives, he  no  longer  takes  account  of  sins;  he  deals 
with  us  as  if  we  had  never  been  guilty  of  them. 
"I,"  he  says,  "even  I  am  he  that  blotteth  out  thy 
transgressions  for  mine  own  sake,  and  will  not  re- 
member thy  sins."  Isa.  xliii.  25.  "I  have  blotted 
out,  as  a  thick  cloud,  thy  transgressions,  and,  as  a 
cloud,  thy  sins."  Isa.  xliv.  22.  He  makes  no  mental 
reservation  to  call  our  sins  to  remembrance  at  some 
future  time.  But  who  is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord 
imputeth  not  iniquity'?  The  man  "in  whose  spirit 
there  is  no  guile;"  the  man  who  makes  no  subtle 
palliations  of  his  sins  in  his  confession  of  them  to  his 


892  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

conscience,  to  his  fellow-men,  or  to  God;  the  man 
who  is  willing  and  anxious  to  see  his  sins  in  all  the 
magnitude  of  their  guilt,  and  to  confess  them  all,  and 
especially  the  sins  of  which  his  conscience  is  most 
afraid.  No  general  confession  of  sin  will  satisfy  the 
man  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile.  He  wishes 
to  see  his  sins  as  God  himself  sees  them,  both  as  to 
their  number  and  vileness.  He  shudders  at  the 
thought  of  the  least  deceit,  of  the  least  hypocrisy, 
in  his  approaches  to  God  in  prayer.  His  constant 
prayer  therefore  is,  "Search  me,  O  God,  and  know 
my  heart ;  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts ;  and  see 
if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me  in 
the  way  everlasting."  Psalm  cxxxix.  23,  24.  We 
do  not  understand  by  the  man  "in  whose  spirit  there 
is  no  guile,"  a  man  who  has  no  faults,  but  only  a 
man  who  seeks  not  to  conceal  nor  to  extenuate  his 
faults — any  of  his  faults — when  confessing  his  sins 
to  God.  Of  this  concealment,  or  at  least  extenua- 
tion, of  some  of  liis  faults,  David  had  been  guilty, 
and  he  begins  in  the  next  verse  to  describe  the  suffer- 
ings it  cost  him. 

Verse  3.     When  I  kept  silence,  my  bones  waxed  old  through 
my  roaring  all  the  day  long. 

"When  I  kept  silence:" — so  long  as  David  did 
not  declare  his  sin,  so  long  he  had  no  peace.  Unac- 
knowledged and  unconfessed  with  sincere  contrition, 
it  nestled  in  his  very  heart  of  hearts  like  a  scorpion 
of  a  thousand  stings.  Its  torments  consumed  his 
strength  as  if  premature  age  had  stolen  upon  him. 
All  the  day  long  he  felt  its  depressing  power.  How- 
ever absorbing  the  cares  of  his  kingdom,  they  suf- 
ficed to  give  him  no  respite  from  his  pain.  His 
mental  anguish   still  continued.      Business   brings 


PSALM  XXXII.  393 

relief  for  the  time  to  ordinary  sorrow;  it  brought 
none  to  David's.  His,  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
engrossing  cares  of  business,  still  gnawed  at  his 
heart.  This  picture  of  David's  mental  disquietude  is 
not  without  its  parallel  in  the  history  of  others. 
Others  have  experienced  the  same  in  the  midst  of  all 
that  is  gay  and  dazzling.  Corroding  sorrow  makes 
them  wretched  in  the  full  possession  of  every  means 
of  happiness  that  the  world  has  to  bestow.  And  if 
remorse  be  an  element  in  their  sorrow,  then  is  it 
intense  indeed!  The  tears  that  the  soul  then  weeps 
are  not  as  balmy  dews  of  heaven,  descending  to 
soothe  and  heal,  but  as  the  deadly  droppings  of  the 
upas,  falling  upon  the  soul,  to  agonize  and  poison  it. 
This  was  David's  case.  He  wept — ^his  tears,  how- 
ever, were  not  yet  the  tears  of  penitence,  but  of 
remorse.  He  felt  his  wretchedness,  and  knew  the 
cause  of  it,  but'  could  not  bring  himself  to  go  to 
God,  confessing  its  cause  to  him,  in  its  enormity,  and 
imploring  his  forgiveness.  There  is  no  other  bosom 
in  which  remorse  so  ravages  as  it  does  in  the  bosom 
which  was  once  the  abode  of  joy  and  peace  in  the 
Holy  Ghost.  If  he  has  fallen  into  some  great  sin 
which  an  angry  and  accusing  conscience  deters  him 
from  humbly  confessing,  remorse  clutches  the  Chris- 
tian's heart,  as  it  clutches  the  heart  of  none  beside. 

Verse  4.     For  day  and  night  thy  hand  was  heavy  upon  me :  my 
moisture  is  turned  into  the  drought  of  summer.     Sdah. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  wrath  of  God  is  felt 

in  the  inflictions  of  conscience,  when  it  torments  us 

as  David's  tormented  him.     It  is  his  wrath  against 

sin  that  arms  it  with  its  desolating  power  over  the 

soul.     David  is  not,  however,  the  only  man  who  has 

felt  its  fiery  lashings  day  and  night,  consuming  even 


394  LECTURES  ON  THE   PSALMS. 

bodily  strength,  as  the  burning  suns  of  the  torrid 
zone  scorch  and  consume  every  green  thing  with  the 
intensity  of  their  heat.  Men  have  sweat  blood  under 
the  scourgings  of  a  guilty  conscience — they  have 
died  under  its  scourging,  there  being  no  other  ascer- 
tainable cause  of  death.  Yea  more,  men  have  sought 
death  as  a  relief  from  its  scourgings,  voluntarily 
giving  themselves  up  to  the  demands  of  public  jus- 
tice, and  asking  death  as  a  boon.  This  has  been 
signally  the  case  with  those  whose  conscience  has 
been  burdened  with  blood-guiltiness,  as  David's  was. 
Have  you  ever  passed  a  night  with  a  duelist '?  If  you 
have  not,  listen  to  a  description  of  his  nightly  ter- 
rors. Acknowledging  to  a  friend  that  he  was  afraid 
to  sleep  alone,  his  friend  consented  to  pass  the  night 
with  him;  and  what  followed  1  After  long  tossing  on 
his  unquiet  pillow,  and  repeated  half-stifled  groans, 
that  revealed  the  inward  pangs  of  the  murderer,  the 
duelist  sunk  into  slumber,  and  as  he  rolled  from 
side  to  side,  the  name  of  his  victim  was  often  uttered, 
with  broken  words,  that  discovered  the  keen  remorse 
that  preyed  like  fire  on  his  conscience.  Suddenly 
he  would  start  up  in  his  bed,  with  the  terrible  im- 
pression that  the  avenger  of  blood  was  pursuing 
him;  or  hide  himself  under  the  covering,  as  if  he 
would  escape  the  burning  eye  of  an  angry  God,  that 
gleamed  in  the  darkness  over  him,  like  lightning 
from  a  thunder-cloud.  For  him  there  was  "no  rest, 
day  nor  night."  Conscience,  armed  with  terrors, 
lashed  him  unceasingly,  and  who  could  sleep'?  And 
this  was  not  the  restlessness  of  disease,  the  ravings 
of  a  disordered  intellect,  the  anguish  of  a  maniac 
struggling  in  chains.  It  was  a  man  of  intelligence, 
education,  health,  and  affluence,  given  up  to  himself 


PSALM  xxxir.  395 

— not  delivered  over  to  the  avenger  of  blood,  to  be 
tormented  before  his  time,  but  left  to  the  power  of 
his  own  conscience^  suffering  only  what  every  one  may 
suffer  who  is  abandoned  of  God.  David's  descrip- 
tion of  the  unrestrained  inflictions  of  a  guilty  con- 
science is  none  too  strong,  when  he  says  of  them  in 
his  own  case,  "Day  and  night  thy  hand  was  heavy 
upon  me:  my  moisture  was  turned  into  the  drought 
of  summer.  SelahJ^  Alas!  the  stoutest  heart  cannot 
but  wither  and  become  dried  up  under  the  inflic- 
tions of  conscience,  impregnated  with  the  wrath  of 
God! 

Verse  5.  I  acknowledged  my  sin  unto  thee,  and  mine  iniquity 
have  I  not  hid.  I  said,  I  will  confess  my  transgressions  unto 
the  Lord;  and  thou  forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my  sin.     Selah. 

These  words  describe  the  great  turning  point  in 
David's  moral  history.  The  ingenuous  confession  of 
his  great  fault  has  at  last  been  made.  He  has  seen 
it  in  all  its  turpitude,  and  acknowledged  it  to  God. 
That  which  had  pressed  so  heavily  upon  his  heart,  and 
which,  it  is  probable,  he  had  never  before  mentioned, 
even  in  his  general  devotions,  he  has  now  confessed, 
with  its  aggravated  circumstances  of  baseness  and 
guilt.  His  adultery  and  murder  he  now  calls  adul- 
tery and  murder,  with  the  feelings  of  self-loathing 
and  self-condemnation  which  they  should  excite.  He 
attempts  no  concealment,  neither  palliation  of  his 
two  great  sins.  He  no  longer  pleads  that  the  temp- 
tation to  the  first  was  strong;  that  the  second  was 
committed  to  conceal  the  first;  nor  that  Uriah  might 
have  fallen,  if  he  had  not  had  him  placed  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  hottest  of  the  battle.  The  reason  why 
we  do  not  obtain  peace  of  conscience,  after  the  com- 
mission of  some  great  sin,  is  because  we  do  not  bring 


396  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ourselves  to  confess  it  by  itself  alone,  and  in  its  naked 
and  terrible  deformity.  There  is  no  reason  why  the 
sin  of  blood-shedding  should  not,  on  sincere  repent- 
ance, be  pardoned  as  readily  as  any  other.  The  blood 
of  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin.  There  is  no 
exception,  except  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 
With  tliis  one  excepted  sin,  we  cannot  charge  the 
man  who  has  slain  his  fellow-man.  He  therefore 
fails  of  the  Divine  pardon,  and  its  consequent  peace 
of  conscience,  because  he  generally  attempts  to  ex- 
tenuate his  crime,  at  least  to  himself.  The  common 
murderer  may  think  that  the  wrongs  he  suffered 
should  in  some  measure  justify  his  act.  The  duelist 
may  plead  the  force  of  pubUc  opinion;  that  this 
opinion  did,  as  it  were,  compel  him  to  do  as  he  did, 
or  be  disgraced.  So  of  every  other  transgression  of 
the  Divine  law,  which  we  may  seek  to  extenuate  by 
something  in  the  circumstances  attending  it.  But 
peace  of  conscience  can  never  enter  the  guilty  breast, 
so  long  as  the  least  spirit  of  self-justification  or  self- 
exculpation  lingers  there.  That  spirit  must  be  wholly 
ejected,  and  substituted  by  the  spirit  that  takes  all 
the  blame  of  faults  home  to  one's  self  alone.  It  was 
thus  that  David  at  last  took  the  blame  of  his  faults 
home  to  himself  alone ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  done 
that,  than  the  peace  of  God  again  filled  his  soul. 
This  is  both  briefly  and  beautifully  expressed  in  the 
metrical  psalm: 

"No  sooner  I  my  wound  disclosed, 
The  guilt  that  tortured  me  within, 
But  thy  forgiveness  interposed, 

And  mercy's  healing  balm  poured  in." 

There  was  not  a  moment's  interval  between  the  full 
and  unqualified  acknowledgment  of  his  guilt  and  the 
Divine  forgiveness.     Hence  his  words,  "I  said,  I  will 


PSALM   XXXII.  897 

confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  Lord;  and  thou 

forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my  sin.  Selah."    Mark  that ; 

no  sooner  was  the  purpose  formed,  than  the  blessing 

came. 

Verse  6.  For  this  shall  every  one  that  is  godly  pray  unto  thee 
in  a  time  when  thou  niayest  be  found :  surely  in  the  floods  of 
great  waters  they  shall  not  come  nigh  unto  him. 

"  For  this,"  that  is,  for  this  reason,  because  thou 
dost  forgive  the  sins  of  thy  people  the  moment  they 
ingenuously  confess  them  to  thee,  therefore  "shall 
every  one  that  is  godly  pray  unto  thee  in  a  time  when 
thou  mayest  be  found."  Having  experienced  in  his 
own  person  the  truth  of  both  propositions,  "  He  that 
covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper:  but  whoso  con- 
fesseth  and  forsaketh  them  shall  have  mercy,"  (Prov. 
xxviii.  13,)  David  trusts  that  from  his  case  others  will 
learn  to  make  confession  of  their  sins  at  once,  and 
not  to  sin,  and  suffer  by  delay,  as  he  had  done.  He 
sees  that  he  might  long  ago  have  enjoyed  the  peace 
he  now  enjoys,  if  he  had  only  brought  himself  to  an 
unqualified  acknowledgment  of  guilt.  For  this  rea- 
son he  trusts  others  will  pray  unto  God  while  he  may 
be  found.  The  time  of  finding  God  is  while  he  is 
still  waiting  to  be  gracious;  and  that  is  every  moment 
of  our  lives,  till  he  gives  us  up  to  final  hardness  of 
heart  and  blindness  of  mind.  Until  then,  there  is 
not  a  moment  of  our  lives  in  which  we  may  not 
take  refuge  in  his  mercy,  by  an  humble  confession 
of  our  sins ;  and  of  every  one  thus  sheltered  by  the 
Divine  mercy,  we  can  say,  with  David,  "  Surely  in 
the  floods  of  great  waters  they  shall  not  come  nigh 
unto  him."  The  believer  having  sinned,  and  truly 
repented  him  of  his  sin,  may  not  escape  all  its  natu- 
ral and  temporal  evil  consequences:  on  the  contrary, 
those  consequences  he  may  be  made,  as  David  was, 
34 


398  LECTURES    ON    THE    PSALMS. 

(2  Sam.  xii.  9-13,)  to  feel  in  such  ways  as  to  remind 
him  continually  of  his  sin.  Nevertheless,  sincere 
repentance  saves  the  believer  from  all  eternal  evil 
consequences  of  his  sin.  Having  taken  refuge  in  the 
Divine  mercy,  "  the  floods  of  great  waters,"  the  deso- 
lating judgments  of  everlasting  woe  that  will  over- 
whelm the  finally  impenitent,  will  not  reach  him.  He 
will  outride  the  deluge  of  fire  that  shall  consume  the 
world  at  last,  as  surely  and  safely  as  Noah,  and  those 
with  him  in  the  ark,  outrode  the  deluge  of  waters 
that  overwhelmed  every  living  thing  beside.  Only 
with  his  eyes  shall  the  penitent  believer  behold  and 
see  the  reward  of  the  wicked.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  astonishing  things  in  the  mercy  of  God.  The 
forgiving  arms  that  were  opened  so  wide  to  receive 
us  when  we  first  repented,  are  opened  still  again  and 
again,  even  so  often  as,  having  sinned,  we  truly 
repent  us  of  our  sin ! 

Verse  7.  Thou  art  my  hiding-place;  thou  shalt  preserve  me 
from  trouble:  thou  shalt  compass  me  about  with  songs  of 
deliverance.     Selah. 

For  twelve  months  and  more,  sin  had  deprived 
David  of  his  hiding-place  in  God;  but  having  at  last 
recovered  it  again  by  sincere  repentance,  he  rejoices 
in  it  as  the  prodigal  rejoiced  in  his  father's  smile,  and 
embrace,  and  welcome,  on  his  return  from  the  far-off 
country,  in  which  he  was  perishing  with  hunger. 
Just  now  the  hand  of  God  was  heavy  upon  him; 
now  he  is  his  deliverer  from  trouble.  Just  now  God 
was  surrounding  him  with  a  circle  of  sorrows ;  now 
he  is  compassing  him  "about  with  songs  of  deliver- 
ance." He  feels  that  the  sweet  relations  once  sub- 
sisting between  him  and  God  have  been  renewed, 
and  he  is  restored  to  the  Divine  favour. 


PSALM   XXXII.  399 

Verse  8.     I  will  instruct  thee,  and  teach  thee  in  the  way  which 
thou  shalt  go :  I  will  guide  thee  with  mine  eye. 

Some  suppose  these  words  to  be  the  voice  of  God 
himself  somiding  in  David's  heart;  the  Spirit  itself 
bearing  witness  to  his  spirit  that  God  would  hence- 
forth guide  him  in  the  ways  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. No  earnest  believer  can  for  a  moment  doubt 
that  the  Divine  Spirit  does  sometimes  thus  speak  in 
our  hearts,  and  guide  us  by  gentle  intimations  in  his 
ways.  Most  commentators,  however,  regard  the 
words  as  David's  own,  and  as  being  addressed  to 
every  fellow  believer  who  may  have  been,  like  him- 
self, overtaken  by  a  fault;  and  designed  to  point  out 
to  him  the  way  of  recovery,  illustrating  and  enforcing 
his  instructions  by  his  own  personal  experience  and. 
example.  This  interpretation  is  certainly  rendered 
highly  probable  by  his  words  elsewhere,  (Psalm  li. 
12,  13,)  where,  in  deploring  the  sin  confessed  in  this 
psalm,  he  says,  "Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  sal- 
vation, and  uphold  me  with  thy  free  Spirit;  then 
will  1  teach  transgressors  thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall 
be  converted  unto  thee."  No  other  believer  can  so 
effectually  teach  a  fallen  brother  how  to  return  to 
God,  as  the  believer  who  has  himself  fallen  and  been 
restored.  He  understands  the  sorrows  and  trials  of 
such  a  brother  as  no  believer  else  can,  and  will 
restore  him  in  a  spirit  of  meekness,  considering  him- 
self Gal.  vi-  1.  It  is  a  sad  way  of  acquiring  skill  to 
raise  the  fallen  and  elevate  the  downcast.  It  is, 
however,  a  way  in  which  many  an  eminent  servant 
of  God  has  been  made  specially  useful  to  his  fellow 
members  in  Christ.  The  story  of  his  own  sins,  told 
with  tears  of  grief,  and  the  story  of  God's  free  par- 
don, told  with  tears  of  joy,  have  brought  light  and 


400  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

consolation  to  many  a  heart,  which  otherwise  would 
have  been  consumed  by  despair.  It  was  thus  that 
David  encouraged  every  erring  brother  still  to  hope 
in  the  mercy  of  God,  from  the  fact  of  his  having  ob- 
tained mercy.  It  was  in  a  similar  way  that  our  Lord 
required  Peter  to  improve  his  mortifying  personal 
experience,  saying  to  him,  after  predicting  his  deplor- 
able lapse,  "when  tliou  art  converted — i.  e.,  recovered 
from  thy  fall,  strengthen  thy  brethren."  Luke  xxii.  32. 
Llaving  himself  fallen,  Peter  would  know  best  how 
to  restore  the  fallen. 

Verse  9.  Be  ye  not  as  the  horse,  or  as  the  mule,  -which  have  no 
understanding;  whose  mouth  must  be  held  in  with  bit  and 
bridle,  lest  they  come  near  unto  thee,  [or^  that  they  ma^  come 
near  unto  thee.] 

The  allusion  is  to  the  necessity  of  bitting  and 
bridling  the  horse  and  mule  before  they  can  be  sub- 
dued to  your  will.  David  exhorts  those  whom  he 
counsels  here,  not  to  resist  doing  the  will  of  God  till 
he  shall  be  obliged  to  bit  and  bridle  them,  to  lead 
them  per  force  where  reason  alone  should  guide  us 
with  willing  feet.  This  comparison  of  the  wicked  to 
the  most  obstinate  of  brutes,  depicts,  in  the  most 
humiliating  light,  the  degradation  to  which  sin  has 
subjected  man's  rational  nature.  The  sinner  verily 
acts  as  if  he  had  no  understanding ;  his  highest  mani- 
festations of  mind  are  seen  in  defeating  all  the  eftbrts 
of  the  Divine  mercy  to  guide  his  feet  into  the  paths 
of  truth  and  peace.  It  is  amazing  that  a  creature 
made  in  the  image  of  God,  with  thoughts  that  wan- 
der through  eternity,  should  be  wise  only  to  do  evil. 
But  so  it  is.  If  he  walks  in  the  ways  of  God  at  all, 
it  is  only  by  compulsion.  The  very  obedience  he 
renders  is  not  a  willing  obedience;  he  is  kept  within 


rSALM   XXXII.  401 

bounds  only  by  restraint.  God,  however,  never  uses 
the  bit  and  bridle  to  guide  us  the  way  we  should  go, 
till  all  his  gentler  means  of  reclaiming  us  have  fixiled 
of  accomplishing  their  end.  His  first  and  favourite 
means  are  the  persuasions  of  love  and  wisdom,  ad- 
dressed to  the  reason  and  the  heart.  To  these  David 
exhorts  his  friends  to  yield,  and  not  wait  for  sterner 
means. 

Verse  10.     IMany  sorrows  shall  be  to  tlie  wicked:  but  he  that 
trusteth  in  the  Lord,  mercy  shall  compass  him  about. 

There  are,  indeed,  many  sorrows  to  the  wicked; 
they  are  their  own  tormentors.  Their  sin  is  a  fire  in 
their  bones,  and  a  poison  in  their  veins.  It  corrodes 
both  mind  and  heart,  soul  and  body.  "  There  is  no 
peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked."  They  work  in 
the  fire,  and  every  sin  they  commit  adds  intensity  to 
the  flames  which  consume  them.  Passion  and  appetite 
gain  power  by  indulgence,  till  they  feel  themselves 
to  be  slaves  indeed  working  in  chains.  They  lose  all 
power  of  self-control,  and  float  on  helplessly  to  ruin, 
knowing  all  the  while  whither  they  are  bound. 
AVhat  a  lot  is  that  of  the  wicked!  Out  of  harmony 
with  God's  moral  government,  their  hurrying  on 
from  sin  to  sin,  is  a  hurrying  on  from  sorrow  to 
sorrow  too.  Every  succeeding  transgression  inflicts 
a  deeper  wound;  and  every  succeeding  transgression 
makes  it  more  certain  that  still  another  will  be  added 
to  the  list.  How  then  can  it  be  otherwise  than  that 
"many  sorrows  shall  be  to  the  wicked;  but  he  that 
trusteth  in  the  Lord,  mercy  shall  compass  him 
about"^  Here  is  the  contrast  between  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked,  between  the  believer  and  the  unbe- 
liever. Trusting  in  the  Lord  brings  the  soul  into 
moral  harmony  Avith  God.  An  element  of  love  sur- 
34* 


402  LECTURES  ON  TUE  PSALMS. 

rounds  and  fills  him.  He  is  in  God,  and  God  is  in 
him,  and — God  is  love.  The  righteous  man,  as  well 
as  the  wicked,  has  his  sorrows,  but  his  faith  in  God 
transmutes  them  into  blessings.  All  things  are  made 
to  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God. 

Verse  11.     Be  glad  in  the  Lord,  and  rejoice,  ye  righteous:  and 
shout  for  joy  all  ye  that  are  upright  in  heart. 

"Be  glad — rejoice — shout  for  joy."  These  are  the 
only  words  that  can  adequately  express  David's  feel- 
ings in  view  of  the  character  given  us  of  the  Lord 
our  God  in  this  psalm.  His  hatred  of  sin,  how  in- 
tense! And  yet  his  pardoning  mercy,  how  full,  how 
free,  the  moment  we  repent !  David  had  felt  in  his 
own  soul  the  truth  of  both  of  these  characteristics  of 
the  Divine  Being,  and  rejoiced  in  both,  in  his  hatred 
of  sin,  and  in  his  delight  in  mercy,  and  calls  upon 
the  righteous  and  the  upright  to  rejoice  with  him. 
The  righteous  man  of  whom  David  here  speaks  is 
not  one  absolutely  righteous,  one  without  spot  or 
blemish  in  his  moral  character,  but  only  one  who  is 
upright  in  heart;  one  whose  repentance  is  sincere; 
one  whose  confession  of  his  sins  has  been  without 
reserve.  Such  a  confession,  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
will  make  us  all  evangelically  righteous  and  upright 
in  heart,  and  bring  peace  to  bosoms  to  which  peace 
has  long  been  a  stranger.  If  any  of  us  have  sinned 
against  our  fellow-men,  let  the  confession  of  our 
faults  to  them  be  immediate,  unqualified,  and  with- 
out reserve.  It  is  the  only  way  in  which  darkness 
can  be  banished  from  the  heart.  So  too,  if  there  is 
any  particular  sin  against  God  that  clouds  our  hopes, 
let  us  not  conceal  it  from  our  consciences,  and  leave 
it  out  of  our  prayers,  but  confess  it,  unmitigated  by 
a  self-exculpating  thought,  by  itself  alone,  by  name, 


PSALM  xxxiir.  403 

and  by  its  right  name.  Then  how  soon  will  God, 
for  the  sake  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  enable  ns  to  say, 
with  all  the  joyousness  with  which  David  said  it, 
"Blessed  is  the  man  whose  transgression  is  forgiven, 
whose  sin  is  covered !" 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXXIIL 

Verse  1.     Rejoice  in  the  Lord,  O  ye  righteous:  for  praise  is 
comely  for  the  upright. 

The  last  psalm  closes  with  a  call  upon  the  righteous 
and  the  upright  in  heart,  to  praise  God  for  his  for- 
giving mercy;  this  opens  with  a  call  upon  the  same 
class  of  persons  to  praise  him  for  his  almighty  power, 
and  providential  goodness  manifested  in  the  preser- 
vation of  his  people.  To  praise  God  for  his  preser- 
vation of  them  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  dangers, 
is  comely  in  the  upright.  It  is  the  only  return  they 
can  make  to  him  for  his  goodness  to  them,  and  is 
suitable  and  becoming.  The  righteous  and  the  up- 
right in  heart  of  our  psalm,  are  not  persons  without 
moral  defect,  but  persons  without  hypocrisy  in  their 
service  of  God — Israelites,  indeed,  in  whom  there  is 
no  guile. 

Verse  2.     Praise  the  Lord  with  harp :  sing  unto  him  with  the 
psaltery,  and  an  instrument  of  ten  strings. 

The  melody  of  voice  and  heart  seems  insufficient  to 
David's  mind  in  his  ovation  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving, unless  it  is  accompanied  by  the  melody  of 
sweet  sounds,  to  augment  its  fervour  and  heighten 
its  glow.     To  what  instruments  of  music  reference 


404  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

is  here  made  in  the  harp,  the  psaltery,  and  an  instru- 
ment of  ten  strings,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine.  And 
if  we  could  decide  the  question,  it  would  be  of  little 
practical  importance  to  us.  They  were,  no  doubt, 
instruments  whose  tones  were  of  the  joyous  and 
jubilant  sort,  in  order  to  be  in  keeping  with  the 
spirit  of  the  psalm. 

Verse  3.     Sing  unto  him  a  new  song:  play  skilfully  with  a  loud 
noise. 

Not  a  new  song  in  its  theme — the  greatness  of 
God's  power  and  goodness  to  his  people — but  a  new 
celebration  of  his  power  and  goodness.  It  is  a  new 
song  only  as  being  a  new  outpouring  of  praise  and 
adoration  excited  by  augmented  displays  of  the 
Divine  mercies;  mercies  never  ceasing,  calling  for 
ceaseless  songs  of  praise,  and  for  songs  of  praise  ever 
new. 

Yerse  4.     For  the  word  of  the  Lord  is  right;  and  all  his  works 
are  done  in  truth. 

The  "  word  of  the  Lord"  here  intended,  is  his  word 
of  promise :  his  "  works  done  in  truth,"  the  perpetual 
fulfilment  of  his  promises  to  his  people.  He  never 
falsifies  his  word.  What  he  promises,  he  performs. 
"God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should  lie;  neither  the  son 
of  man,  that  he  should  repent:  hath  he  said,  and  shall 
he  not  do  iti  or,  hath  he  spoken,  and  shall  he  not 
make  it  goodV  Num.  xxiii.  19,  This  is  the  charac- 
ter of  the  God  of  Israel,  given  by  the  wicked 
Balaam;  given  unwillingly,  but  given  truly. 

Verse  5.     He  loveth  righteousness  and  judgment:  the  earth  is 
full  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord. 

Here  is  another  source  of  confidence  and  joy  in 
God.  He  loveth  righteousness  and  judgment,  uni- 
versal justice,  so  that  all  who  have  right  on  their 


PSALM  xxxiir.  405 

side  may  be  sure  of  ultimate  deliverance.  God's 
love  of  justice,  and  his  so  ordering  all  things  as  to  ac- 
complish its  ends,  is  the  good  man's  strongest  stay  in 
all  his  conflicts  with  oppression  and  wrong.  It  nerves 
his  heart  with  strength  in  the  hour  of  trial.  And 
God  is  as  mercy-loving  as  he  is  justice-loving.  "The 
earth  is  full  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord."  We  see 
on  every  side  manifestations  of  the  Divine  benevo- 
lence as  numerous  as  the  manifestations  of  the  Divine 
justice.  They  walk  hand  in  hand;  one,  avenging  the 
good  man's  wrongs;  the  other,  pardoning  his 
offences,  and  crowning  his  life  with  loving-kind- 
nesses. 

Verse  6.     By  the  word  of  the  Lord  were  the  heavens  made ;  and 
all  the  host  of  them  by  the  breath  of  his  mouth. 

Already  described  as  being  faithful,  just,  and  good, 
God  has  here  ascribed  to  him  another  attribute  that 
should  be  cause  for  joy  to  the  believer — omnipo- 
tence. This  is  the  arm  of  his  other  attributes,  and 
gives  infinite  ability  to  them  all.  It  is  no  labour 
Avhatever  for  him  to  accomplish  the  greatest  things. 
"By  his  word  were  the  heavens  made;  and  all  the 
host  of  them  by  the  breath  of  his  mouth."  There  is 
omnipotent  power  in  his  very  breath.  It  brought 
into  existence  every  visible  thing  with  which  immen- 
sity teems — the  earth  beneath  our  feet,  and  the  star 
whose  distance  from  us  no  numbers  can  express. 

Verse  7.    He  gathcreth  the  waters  of  the  sea  together  as  a  heap : 
he  layeth  up  the  depth  in  storehouses. 

There  is  here  a  descent  from  the  general  to  the 
particular,  from  the  manifestations  of  Divine  power 
in  the  illimitable  heavens,  to  the  manifestations  of 
the  same  power  in  a  single  instance  on  the  earth, 
God's  gathering  the  waters  of  the  sea  together  and 


406  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

retaining  them  in  their  places  as  if  they  were  solid 
substances,  when,  left  to  themselves,  they  might 
again  overflow  the  earth.  They  are  as  secure  in  the 
places  God  has  assigned  them  as  they  would  be 
locked  up  in  storehouses  constructed  for  that  very 
purpose.  They  cannot  pass  their  barriers,  except  at 
his  bidding.  His  hand  is  upon  their  every  wave, 
though  tossing  itself  mountain  high,  repressing  its 
fuiy  until  it  sinks  quietly  to  rest  again — the  wildest 
storm  being  always  succeeded  by  a  calm,  leaving  the 
waters  of  the  great  deep  still  where  they  were,  and 
the  earth  where  it  was. 

Verses  8,  9.  Let  all  the  Ccarth  fear  the  Lord:  let  all  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  world  stand  in  awe  of  him :  for  he  spake,  and  it 
was  done;  he  commanded  and  it  stood  fast. 

These  words  compose  one  of  the  many  passages  in 
the  word  of  God  where  any  attempt  at  expansion 
and  explanation  only  mars  their  force.  Standing 
alone  by  themselves,  they  speak  to  the  imagination 
and  the  heart  with  a  power  which  no  other  words 
can  augment.  "He  spake,  and  it  was  done;  he  com- 
manded, and  it  stood  fast."  Who  would  not  fear 
and  stand  in  awe  of  such  a  Being  as  this,  who  called 
a  universe  into  existence  out  of  nothing,  by  a  word ; 
and  by  the  same  word,  it  stood  fast,  impressed  with 
laws  from  which  it  has  never  deviated,  except  at  his 
behest "?  Man  requires  means  to  accomplish  ends. 
God  requires  them  not.  He  has  in  his  mere  will  all 
that  he  needs  to  accomplish  infinite  ends.  Man's 
most  finished  works  may  be  still  improved,  and  soon 
perish.  God's  works  are  perfect  from  the  beginning, 
and  continue  what  he  made  them,  till  he  bids  them 
change.  What  a  God  is  this  to  have  for  one's  ene- 
my! and  yet,  what  a  God  to  have  for  one's  friend! 


PSALM  XXXIII.  407 

Verses  10,  11.  The  Lord  bringetli  the  counsel  of  the  heathen 
to  nought;  he  maketh  the  devices  of  the  people  of  none 
effect.  The  counsel  of  the  Lord  standcth  for  ever,  the 
thoughts  of  his  heart  to  all  generations. 

This  was  said  to  encourage  God's  Israel  of  old  not 
to  fear  what  man  could  do  unto  them.  He  who 
made  all  creatures  so  easily,  could  control  them  as 
easily.  He  who  called  them  into  being  out  of 
nothing,  could  certainly  bring  their  counsel  to 
nought,  and  their  devices  to  none  effect — defeat  all 
their  plans  and  purposes  of  evil.  It  was  not  so, 
however,  with  the  counsel  of  the  Lord;  it  would 
stand,  and  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  to  aU  genera- 
tions. His  purposes  of  mercy  toward  his  people, 
he  would  certainly  accomplish.  These  words  were 
spoken  for  the  encouragement  of  the  Israel  of  God 
now,  as  well  as  for  his  Israel  of  old. 

Verse  12.  Blessed  is  the  nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord;  and 
the  people  whom  he  hath  chosen  for  his  own  inheritance. 

The  history  of  the  world  is  a  verification  of  these 
words.  Only  those  nations  whose  God  was  the  Lord, 
have  been  eminently  blessed.  Knowing  and  wor- 
shipping the  God  of  revelation,  has  been  their  only 
enduring  bond  of  union,  strength,  and  peace.  Their 
choosing  him  for  their  inheritance,  leading  him  to 
choose  them  for  his,  has  thrown  around  every  such 
nation  the  shield  of  his  omnipotent  wisdom  and 
immeasurable  love.  Their  undertaking  the  defence 
and  promotion  of  his  cause  has  invariably  enlisted 
him  to  undertake  the  defence  and  promotion  of 
theirs.  In  whatever  nation  this  has  not  been  the 
case,  there  anarchy,  falsehood,  and  oppression  have 
in  time  carried  the  day  against  order,  truth,  and 
justice.  Of  this  fact  all  the  nations  now  on  the  earth 
are  illustrations;  each  is  distinguished  and  prosperous, 


408  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

or  degraded  and  downcast,  just  in  proportion  as  the 
love  of  God's  revealed  truth  does,  or  does  not,  rule 
in  the  minds  of  the  people. 

Verses  13,  14.  The  Lord  looketh  from  heaven;  he  beholdeth 
all  the  sons  of  men.  From  the  place  of  his  habitation  he 
looketh  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 

Notwithstanding  the  heaven  is  his  throne,  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord  are  everywhere,  beholding  the  evil 
and  the  good.  Prov.  xv.  3.  "  He  looketh  upon  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth."  Not  one  of  all  the 
sons  of  men  is  hid  from  his  view.  He  observes 
them  with  a  watchfulness  that  never  wearies,  and 
with  an  eye  that  never  slumbers.  His  interest  in 
his  creatures  did  not  cease,  as  some  have  taught,  as 
soon  as  he  had  launched  them  into  being.  The 
workmanship  of  his  hand  is  never  for  a  moment 
out  of  his  sight,  or  out  of  his  mind.  Men  can  enve- 
lope themselves  and  plans  in  no  covering  through 
which  his  eye  does  not  penetrate.  This  the  wicked 
man  forgets  when  he  would  sin;  and  the  righteous 
man  when  he  would  despair.  We  can  conceive  of 
no  greater  preventive  of  vice,  or  encouragement  to 
virtue,  than  fully  realizing  that  the  eye  of  God  is  at 
every  moment  upon  us. 

Verse  15.  He  fashioneth  their  hearts  alike:  he  considereth  all 
their  works. 

"He  fashioneth  their  hearts  alike" — that  is,  the 
hearts  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  The  words 
refer,  either  to  God's  originally  fashioning  the  hearts 
of  all  men  alike,  instinct  with  the  same  general  pas- 
sions, impulses,  and  aspirations ;  or  to  his  still  mould- 
ing and  turning  them  as  he  lists  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  own  wise  and  gracious  purposes.  Either 
interpretation  yields  substantially  the   same   sense. 


PSALM  xxxiir.  409 

Each  teaches  that  God's  looking  from  heaven  has  to 
do  with  the  hearts  of  men.  The  Father  of  the  spirits 
of  all  flesh,  he  scans  all  their  thoughts,  and  watches 
whither  they  tend — whether  to  himself  as  their  cen- 
tre, or  to  sin.  If  they  tend  to  liimself,  he  fashioneth 
them  more  and  more  to  himself;  if,  however,  they 
tend  to  sin,  he  still  so  overrules  their  working  as  to 
subserve  his  own  glory  and  the  good  of  his  people. 
"He  considereth  all  their  works;"  these  too,  seated 
on  his  throne  in  heaven,  God  sees — all  the  works  of 
all  men.  He  sees  them  too,  as  he  sees  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  their  hearts,  as  matters  for  which  he 
will  deal  with  them  as  their  King  and  Judge.  It  is 
not  an  idle  seat  that  God  occupies  in  the  place  of  his 
habitation,  the  abode  of  his  undisturbed  glory  in  the 
heavens.  He  beholds  from  thence,  to  punish  or  re- 
ward it,  every  thought  of  every  heart,  and  every  deed 
of  every  hand,  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth. 
This  omniscient  judgment  of  God  is  another  reason 
why  the  righteous  and  the  upright  should  not  fear 
what  man  can  do  unto  them. 

Verses  16,  17.  There  is  no  king  saved  by  tlie  multitude  of  a 
host :  a  miglity  man  is  not  delivered  by  much  strength.  A 
horse  is  a  vain  thing  for  safety;  neither  shall  he  deliver  any 
by  his  great  strength. 

That  there  is  no  king  saved  by  the  multitude  of  a 
host,  was  verified  in  Sennacherib,  when,  having  taken 
all  the  fenced  cities  of  Israel,  he  sat  down  before 
Jerusalem  with  what  he  thought  to  be  an  invincible 
host,  defying  Israel  and  Israel's  God.  That  night 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  went  forth,  and  smote  in  the 
camp  of  the  Assyrian  an  hundred  and  four  score  and 
five  thousand,  (2  Kings  xix.  35,)  sending  the  vaunt- 
35 


410  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ing  king  back  to  his  kingdom,  leaving  his  mighty 
host  behind  him,  dead.  And  that  "a  mighty  man  is 
not  dehvered  by  much  strength,"  was  verified  in 
GoHath  of  Gath,  when,  for  defying  Israel  and 
Israel's  God,  a  smooth  stone  from  a  sling  in  the 
hands  of  a  youth,  felled  the  giant  to  the  ground. 
1  Sam.  xvii.  35.  "A  horse  is  a  vain  thing  for 
safety;"  this  Pharaoh  learned  to  his  cost,  when,  pur- 
suing the  Israelites  into  the  midst  of  the  Red  Sea, 
with  all  his  horses,  his  chariots,  and  his  horsemen ; 
his  horses,  chariots,  and  horsemen  were  overwhelmed 
in  the  waves;  there  remained  not  so  much  as  one  of 
them.  Exod.  xiv.  28.  So  long  as  they  are  willing 
and  obedient,  and  look  to  him  in  faith,  and  prayer,  no 
human  power,  however  great,  can  prevail  against  the 
people  of  God.  He  can  bring  to  nought,  both  as  and 
when  he  will,  his  enemies  and  theirs;  and  cause  that 
in  which  they  trusted  most,  and  thought  invincible, 
to  be  a  vain  thing  to  them.  The  horse  is  prepared 
for  the  day  of  battle,  but  victory  is  of  the  Lord. 
Prov.  xxi.  31. 

Verses  18,  19.  Beliold,  tlie  eye  of  the  Lord  is  upon  tliem  that 
fear  him,  upon  them  that  hope  in  his  mercy;  to  deliver  their 
soul  from  death,  and  to  keep  them  alive  in  famine. 

They  who  truly  fear  the  Lord  need  no  material 
strength  to  ensure  their  safety.  Trusting  in  his 
mercy  makes  his  strength  theirs ;  enlists  his  omnipo- 
tence upon  their  side.  His  eye  is  ever  on  them  for 
their  good.  "He  delivereth  their  soul  from  death:" 
the  last  enemy  never  invades  them  till  he  permits : 
he  can  preserve  them  unharmed  in  the  lions'  den, 
and  in  the  seven  times  heated  furnace ;  and  when  at 
length  their  dust  returns  unto  the  earth  as  it  was, 


PSALM   XXXIII.  411 

and  the  spirit  unto  him  who  gave  it.  "He  keepeth 
them  alive  in  famine:"  if  it  be  better  for  them  to  live 
than  to  die,  his  people  can  never  lack  the  means  of 
subsistence.  He  will  command  the  ravens  to  feed 
them,  or  cause  that  those  who  undertake  to  give 
them  daily  bread,  shall  have  barrels  of  meal  that 
waste  not,  and  cruses  of  oil  that  fail  not.  1  Kings 
xvii.  1-16.  God's  care  of  those  who  endeavour  to 
please  him  is  unceasing.  No  want  of  theirs  can  be 
too  insignificant  for  him  to  notice  and  relieve.  His 
loving  care  of  them  extends  from  the  greatest  to  the 
least  thing  concerning  them,  from  the  eternal  welfare 
of  the  soul  to  the  numbering  the  hairs  of  the  head. 

Verses  20,  21.  Our  soul  waiteth  for  the  Lord;  he  is  our  help 
and  our  shield.  For  our  heart  shall  rejoice  in  himj  because 
we  have  trusted  in  his  holy  name. 

This  waiting  for  the  Lord  is  not  an  idle  waiting 
on  the  part  of  his  people:  it  is  a  waiting  in  faith, 
and  hope,  and  prayer.  It  is  a  waiting  in  patience, 
too,  while  using  all  the  means  of  preparing  ourselves 
for  a  due  appreciation  and  improvement  of  the  bless- 
ing when  it  comes.  It  is  a  doing  all  we  can  to  help 
ourselves,  while  realizing  that  success  can  come  from 
God  alone.  It  is  only  this  sort  of  waiting  for  the 
Lord,  that  makes  him  our  help  and  shield.  God 
never  does  for  men  what  they  can  do  for  themselves. 
He  who  was  about  to  raise  Lazarus  from  the  dead, 
said,  "  Take  ye  away  the  stone"  from  the  grave's 
mouth ;  and,  having  raised  him  from  the  dead,  said 
again,  "Loose  him,"  free  him  from  his  grave 
clothes,  "and  let  him  go."  John  xi.  39,  44.  It  is 
idle  for  us  to  suppose  that  we  are  truly  waiting  for 
the  Lord,  while  we  are  not  doing  all  that  our  human 


412  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

power  can  accomplish.  Man's  extremity  is  God's 
opportunity.  He  interposes  with  his  power,  only 
where  human  power  can  no  longer  avail.  At  that 
point,  however,  he  always  does  interpose  in  behalf 
of  those  fearing  him  and  hoping  in  his  mercy.  They 
may  travel  on  in  their  own  strength  to  the  last  sand 
of  the  sea  shore,  and  if  it  be  his  will  that  they  go 
still  forward,  he  opens  a  way  for  them  through  the 
deep  on  dry  ground.  Exod.  xiv.  15,  22.  It  is  this 
fact  that  brings  joy  to  the  heart  of  all  those  who  fear 
the  Lord  and  have  trusted  in  his  holy  name.  Their 
experience  teaches  them  that  he  never  fails  them  in 
extremity:  that  when  human  power  can  no  longer 
avail  them,  he  is  present  to  help  and  shield  them 
with  his  own  Divine  power.  What  a  thought  is  this 
to  bring  quiet  to  the  mind  and  peace  to  the  heart, 
that  whatever  the  people  of  God  lack  in  themselves, 
they  have  in  him,  to  infinity! 

Verse  22.     Let  thy  mercy,  0  Lord,  be  upon  us,  according  as  we 
hope  in  thee. 

To  the  blind  men  seeking  the  restoration  of  their 
sight,  and  professing  their  belief  that  he  could  grant 
what  they  asked,  our  Lord,  touching  their  eyes, 
said,  "According  to  your  faith,  be  it  unto  you; 
and  their  eyes  were  opened."  Matt.  ix.  29-30.  He 
said  also  to  the  centurion,  whose  faith  had  uttered 
itself  in  the  words,  "  Speak  the  word  only,  and  my 
servant  shall  be  healed.  ...  Go  thy  way :  and  as  thou 
hast  believed,  so  be  it  done  unto  thee.  And  his  servant 
was  healed  in  the  self-same  hour."  Matt.  viii.  8-13. 
God  has  ordained  an  immutable  connection  between 
faith  and  mercy,  between  our  hoping  for  his  salva- 
tion, and  obtaining  it.    It  is  the  one  indispensable  con- 


PSALM    XXXIII.  413 

dition  upon  which  he  will  interpose  to  save  us.  It 
is  a  condition,  however,  which  being  fulfilled  by  us, 
secures  us  his  help  in  the  self-same  hour,  in  the  self- 
same moment.  If  then  we  are  conscious  of  exer- 
cising faith  in  him,  we  can  with  safety  offer  up  the 
prayer  of  the  last  verse  of  our  psalm,  "Let  thy 
mercy,  O  Lord,  be  upon  us,  according  as  we  hope  in 
thee:"  trust  in  thee,  wait  for  thee.  The  prayer  is 
just  a  reminding  God,  that  having  through  his  grace 
fulfilled  the  condition  on  which  he  has  promised  to 
show  mercy,  we  hope  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  pro- 
mise so  made.  It  is  claiming  no  merit  for  our  faith 
— that  also  being  the  gift  of  God,  (Eph.  ii.  8) — but 
only  that,  having  himself  inspired  the  hope  that  is  in 
our  hearts,  he  would  realize  it,  according  to  the 
strength  he  has  given  it.  This  then  being  the  con- 
nection between  the  exercise  of  faith  on  our  part, 
and  the  exercise  of  mercy  on  his  part,  how  earnestly 
and  incessantly  should  we  put  up  the  prayer  of  the 
apostles,  "Lord,  increase  our  faith."  Luke  xvii.  5. 
It  enlists  on  our  side  at  once  the  great  I  AM;  him 
who  is  true,  and  just,  and  merciful,  omniscient  and 
omnipresent;  him  who  called  the  universe  into  being 
by  a  word:  who  spake,  and  it  was  done;  who  com- 
manded, and  it  stood  fast.  And  surely,  if  we  have 
him  on  our  side,  him,  as  he  was  manifested  in  Christ, 
we  need  not  fear  what  man  can  do  unto  us.  Our 
safety  and  our  happiness  are  in  hands  where  no  cre- 
ated power  can  reach  them. 


35* 


414  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXXIV. 

The  heading  of  this  psalm  reads,  "A  Psalm  of  David, 
when  he  changed  his  behaviour  before  Abimelech; 
who  drove  him  away,  and  he  departed."  The  reason 
for  this  caption  is  given  us  in  the  history  to  which  it 
refers,  1  Sam,  xxi.  10-15.  Being  so  sorely  perse- 
cuted by  Saul,  that  he  could  no  longer  remain  with 
safety  in  any  part  of  the  land  of  Israel,  David  betook 
himself  to  the  court  of  Achish,  the  king  of  Gath,  who 
is  called  in  our  title  also  Abimelech,  the  general  name 
of  the  kings  of  the  Philistines,  as  Pharaoh  was  for  a 
long  time  the  general  name  of  the  kings  of  Egypt, 
and  Csesar,  of  the  emperors  of  Eome.  Whether  or 
not  David  visited  Achish  at  his  solicitation,  we  cannot 
tell.  Some  suppose  that  he  did,  Achish  hoping  to 
find  him  useful  in  his  wars  against  Saul.  It  seems, 
however,  that  the  captains  and  chief  men  of  Achish 
were  not  pleased  with  David's  presence  at  the  court 
of  their  king.  They  seem  to  have  in  some  way  ascer- 
tained his  true  relation  to  the  throne  of  Israel,  as  its 
future  occupant;  for  they  say  to  Achish,  "Is  not  this 
David  the  king  of  the  land  ?  did  they  not  sing  one  to 
another  of  him  in  dances,  saying,  Saul  hath  slain  his 
thousands,  and  David  his  ten  thousands  1  And  David 
laid  up  these  words  in  his  heart,  and  was  sore  afraid 
of  Achish  the  king  of  Gath.  And  he  changed  his 
behaviour  before  them,  and  feigned  himself  mad  in 
their  hands ;  and  scrabbled  on  the  doors  of  the  gate, 
and  let  his  spittle  fall  down  upon  his  beard.  Then 
said  Achish,  unto  his  servants,  Lo,  ye  see  the  man  is 
mad:  wherefore  have  ye  brought  him  to  me'?     Have 


PSALM   XXXIV.  415 

I  need  of  madmen,  that  ye  have  brought  this  fellow 
to  play  the  madman  in  my  presence'?  shall  this  fellow 
come  into  my  house'?"  Thus  dismissed  by  Achish, 
David  escaped  the  dangers  threatening  him.  His 
conduct,  however,  on  this  occasion  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  a  great  diversity  of  comment.  Some  have 
defended  it;  more  have  condemned  it;  while  others 
have  so  explained  it  as  to  free  it  of  all  just  censure. 
If  David's  madness  was  really  feigned,  the  propriety 
of  his  conduct  is  certainly  to  be  questioned;  and  it 
was  a  deception  unworthy  of  him,  both  as  a  man  and 
as  a  believer:  unworthy  of  him  as  a  man,  because 
the  true  man  will  no  more  act  an  untruth,  than  he 
will  utter  one;  and  still  more  unworthy  of  him  as  a 
believer,  because  it  was,  for  the  time-being  at  least, 
a  distrusting  of  the  power  of  God  to  deliver  him.  It 
was,  in  short,  doing  evil  that  good  might  come,  and 
that,  too,  when  the  prayer  of  faith,  ascending  from 
his  heart  at  the  moment,  would  have  secured  him  the 
Divine  interposition  and  protection.  The  man  whose 
trust  in  God  continues  steadfast,  will  never  be  left  to 
be  tempted  beyond  his  strength.  He  therefore,  to 
escape  from  danger,  need  resort  to  no  mode  of  ques- 
tionable morality.  There  are,  however,  some  few 
persons  who  think  that  David's  conduct  on  the  pre- 
sent occasion  was  not  feigned ;  that  the  change  in  his 
behaviour  was  caused  by  a  sudden  attack  of  sickness, 
which,  for  the  time,  did  actually  deprive  him  of  his 
reason — epilepsy.  The  persons  holding  this  opinion, 
think  they  discover  the  unmistakable  symptoms  of 
that  spasmodic  and  delirious  sickness  in  David's 
scrabbling,  or  rather,  falling  upon  the  posts  of  the 
gate,  and  foaming  at  the  mouth.  If  this  was  so,  the 
fact  exculpates  David  of  all  blame:  if,  however,  the 


416  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

more  common  opinion  be  true,  that  his  madness  was 
feigned,  his  conduct  is  without  excuse.  The  man 
who  saves  his  Ufe  by  a  falsehood,  pays  more  for  it 
than  it  is  worth.  "When  told  that  he  might  save  his 
life  by  telling  a  falsehood,  by  denying  his  hand- 
>\Titing,  Algernon  Sidney  replied,  "When  God  has 
brought  me  into  a  dilemma  in  which  I  must  assert  a 
lie  or  lose  my  life,  he  gives  me  a  clear  intimation  of 
my  duty,  which  is,  to  prefer  death  to  falsehood." 
But  whether  David  effected  it  by  means  justifiable  or 
unjustifiable,  he  was  equally  bound  to  thank  God  for 
the  mercy  of  his  escape;  and  he  does  this  in  this 
psalm,  and  also  improves  the  occasion  to  teach,  as 
another  has  said,  his  fellow-believers  "the  art  of 
leading  a  quiet  life,  and  of  being  secure  against 
enemies.  This  art  consists  in  the  fear  of  God,  in 
keeping  watch  on  the  lips,  in  doing  no  evil,  and  in 
following  after  peace :  the  consequences  of  which  are, 
prayer  heard,  deliverance  out  of  all  danger,  the  gra- 
cious presence  of  God,  communion  with  him,  conso- 
lation from  him,  and  the  protection  of  person  and 
life." 

Verse  1.     I  will  bless  tlie  Lord  at  all  times;  his  praise  shall 
continually  be  in  my  mouth. 

Great  and  special  deliverances  excite  the  mind,  as 
nothing  else  can,  to  praise  God  without  ceasing. 
Such  deliverances  not  only  recall  to  our  minds  simi- 
lar deliverances,  but  they  also  excite  within  us  a 
more  vivid  and  abiding  sense  of  God's  common  mer- 
cies to  us,  and  the  recollection  of  the  two,  so  revived 
in  the  memory,  keeps  his  praise  continually  upon 
our  lips.  This  was  the  case  with  David  here.  He 
had  been  delivered  when,  throughout  all  Israel,  there 
was  hardly  a  man  whose  hand  was  not  against  him  to 


PSALM   XXXIV.  417 

take  away  his  life ;  and  for  mercy  so  vouchsafed  him, 
he  resolves  that  he  will  render  unto  the  Lord  the 
tribute  of  continual  thanksgiving.  This  is  all  the 
return  that  God  asks  of  us  for  any  of  his  mercies  to 
us ;  and  yet  how  few  of  us  make  him  the  return,  so 
easy,  so  natural,  and  so  becoming  to  dependent  crea- 
tures ! 

Verse  2.     My  soul  shall  make  her  boast  in  the  Lord :  the  hum- 
ble shall  hear  thereof,  and  be  glad. 

What  causes  David  specially  to  exult  in  the  Lord 
is  this — the  encouragement  which  his  deliverance 
would  give  to  others  similarly  situated,  not  to  de- 
spair of  the  Divine  mercy.  "  The  humble  shall  hear 
thereof,  and  be  glad."  Other  tried  and  tempted  be- 
lievers shall  learn,  from  my  experience,  that  God  will 
never  leave  them  nor  forsake  them.  This  we  are 
too  apt  to  forget,  and  to  think,  when  trouble  and 
sorrow  come  upon  us,  that  no  one  else  ever  had 
trouble  or  sorrow  like  ours.  Li  this  we  are  mis- 
taken; and  herein  consists  the  great  advantage  of 
being  familiar  with  the  spiritual  exercises  and  expe- 
riences of  other  Christians.  Their  rehgious  history 
soon  teaches  us  that  we  have  not  a  trouble  which 
they  had  not,  nor  a  trial  which  they  had  not,  nor  a 
temptation  which  they  had  not,  nor  a  weakness 
which  they  had  not,  and  did  not  overcome  in  the 
strength  of  the  Lord.  We  hear  thereof,  and  are 
glad;  their  experience  of  the  sufficiency  and  cer- 
tainty of  the  grace  of  God  leads  us  to  hope  and 
believe  that  we  too  may  conquer.  Thus  the  victo- 
rious fliith  of  every  believer  in  the  whole  Church 
becomes  a  heritage  of  hope,  and  strength,  and  com- 
fort to  every  other  believer;  they  hear  thereof,  and 
are  glad. 


418  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Verses  3,  4.  0  magnify  the  Lord  with  me,  and  let  us  exalt  hia 
name  together.  I  sought  the  Lord,  and  he  heard  me,  and 
delivered  me  from  all  my  fears. 

It  is  difficult  for  the  soul  that  has  been  delivered 
out  of  great  dangers,  not  to  call  upon  others  to  join 
it  in  its  ovation  of  praise  and  thanksgiving;  and 
especially  difficult  for  it  not  to  call  upon  those  who 
have  experienced  similar  mercy.  It  cannot  refrain 
from  calling  upon  them  to  join  it  in  magnifying  the 
Lord,  to  join  it  in  proclaiming  the  greatness  of  his 
mercy,  the  immutability  of  his  promises,  and  his 
readiness  to  hear  the  prayer  of  every  one  who  calls 
on  him  for  help.  "O  magnify  the  Lord  with  me, 
and  let  us  exalt  his  name  together,"  is  the  sponta- 
neous language  of  the  soul  that  has  experienced  the 
salvation  of  God,  and  tasted  the  sweets  of  redeem- 
ing, regenerating,  and  sanctifying  love. 

Terse  5.  They  looked  unto  him,  and  were  lightened;  and  their 
faces  were  not  ashamed. 

David  here  changes  his  nominatives  and  verbs 
from  the  first  person  singular  to  the  third  person 
plural,  to  teach  us  that  what  he  says  of  himself,  as  a 
beneficiary  of  the  Divine  mercy,  is  equally  true  of 
all  believers ;  that  the  experience  of  every  one  who 
trusts  in  the  Lord  is  what  he  describes  his  own  to  have 
been,  where  he  says:  "I  sought  the  Lord,  and  he 
heard  me,  and  delivered  me  from  all  my  fears."  It 
is  one  of  the  subtle  devices  of  Satan  to  insinuate  into 
our  minds  the  thought  that  the  experience  of  emi- 
nent believers  can  never  be  ours.  "Yes,  it  can," 
David  answers;  God's  dealings  with  me  are  only  a 
specimen  of  what  he  is  ready  to  do  for  all  who  look 
to  him;  no  burning  blush  of  shame  at  hope  disap- 
pointed, but  the  beaming  light  of  hope  realized,  shall 


PSALM   XXXIV.  419 

play  over  every  face  that  is  turned  to  him.  God  is 
no  respecter  of  persons ;  he  is  alike  rich  unto  all  who 
call  upon  him. 

Verse  6.     This  poor  man  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard  him,  and 
saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles. 

Here  again,  speaking  of  himself  in  the  third  per- 
son, David  turns  to  God's  dealings  with  him  indi- 
vidually, still  giving  his  own  experience,  however,  as 
an  encouragement  to  others.  "This  poor  man  cried." 
David  was  poor  indeed  when  he  offered  up  the 
prayer  to  which  he  here  alludes.  He  had  not  where 
to  lay  his  head ;  no  man  dared  to  call  him  friend,  or 
to  show  himself  friendly  to  him,  and  Ahimelech,  the 
priest,  for  giving  him  a  morsel  of  bread,  was  slain, 
with  four-score  and  five  other  persons  that  did  wear 
the  ephod.  1  Sam.  xxii.  18.  Nevertheless,  although 
he  was  disowned  of  all,  and  marked  for  slaughter, 
when  this  poor  man  cried,  the  Lord  heard  him,  and 
saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles.  "Whose  situa- 
tion," David  seems  to  say,  "  could  be  more  hopeless 
or  more  helpless  than  mine  was'? — and  yet  the  Lord 
delivered  me." 

Verse  7.     The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  round  about  them 
that  fear  him,  and  delivereth  them. 

This  encamping  of  the  angel  of  the  Lord  round 
about  them  that  fear  him,  may  mean  either  the  actual 
encamping  of  the  angelic  hosts  round  them  that  shall 
be  heirs  of  salvation,  or  it  may  mean  the  girdings  of 
the  Divine  Omnipotence  surrounding  all  those  who 
have  taken  refuge  in  his  mercy.  Perhaps,  in  the 
fulness  of  its  import,  it  comprehends  both  meanings. 
Certain  it  is,  that  God  delights  to  share  with  the 
angelic  host  his  great  work  of  saving  man.  It  was 
they  who  first  announced  the  birth  of  a  Saviour,  and 


420  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

shouted  in  glad  accents,  "Glory  to  God  in  the  high- 
est; and  on  earth  peace,  good-will  toward  men." 
We  also  read  that  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the 
angels  of  God  over  every  sinner  that  repenteth. 
How  cheering  a  thought  should  this  be  to  the  child- 
ren of  God;  not  only  is  God  himself  round  about 
them  to  protect  them,  but  also  his  holy  angels. 
"  Fear  not,"  said  Elisha  to  the  young  man  intimi- 
dated by  the  numbers  and  power  of  the  enemy  sur- 
rounding them — "fear  not;  for  they  that  be  with  us 
are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them."  And  when 
he  prayed  the  Lord  to  open  the  young  man's  eyes,  he 
saw,  and  behold  the  mountain  was  full  of  horses  and 
chariots  of  fire  round  about  Elisha.  2  Kings  vi. 
14-17.  These  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  were  guar- 
dian angels.  It  was  such  angels  that,  having  watched 
over  him  during  his  life,  bore  the  soul  of  Lazarus, 
when  it  was  released  from  his  diseased  body,  to  the 
bosom  of  Abraham.  The  extreme  care  with  which 
the  angels  watch  over  those  committed  to  their 
charge,  is  indicated  in  the  words  that  they  bear 
them  up  in  their  hands,  lest  they  shoidd  at  any  time 
so  much  as  strike  their  foot  against  a  stone. 

Verse  8.     0  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good :  blessed  is  the 
man  that  trusteth  in  him. 

It  is  not  to  meagre,  evanescent  joys,  that  the  Lord 
admits  the  man  whose  trust  is  in  him:  he  admits 
him  to  an  everlasting  feast  of  joys  such  as  eye  hath 
not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  have  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  conceive.  The  soul  no  sooner  gets  a 
foretaste  of  these  joys  than  it  feels  that  it  is  in  the 
way  to  the  good  for  which  it  was  made,  and  the  good 
whose  full  possession  will  make  it  perfectly  and 
eternally  happy. 


PSALM   XXXIV.  421 

Verses  9,  10.  O  fear  the  Lord,  ye  his  saints:  for  there  is  no 
want  to  them  that  fear  him.  The  young  lions  do  lack  and 
suffer  hunger:  but  they  that  seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want 
any  good  thing. 

The  young  lions  that  do  lack  and  suffer  hunger, 
may  mean  persons  who  seek  enjoyment  with  ardent, 
impetuous,  and  headlong  feeling,  but  seek  it  only  in 
things  temporal.  Such  persons,  however  vehemently 
they  may  seek  happiness  there,  still  suffer  the  hun- 
ger of  desires  unsatisfied.  They  enjoy  no  substantial 
peace,  no  abiding  happiness.  In  the  midst  of  every 
blessing  that  earth  can  bestow,  there  is  still  with  them 
a  hungering  of  the  heart,  and  a  thirsting  of  the  spirit, 
after  a  bliss  not  yet  attained.  They  are,  too,  gene- 
rally quite  as  far  removed  from  real  happiness  in 
prosperity  as  they  are  in  adversity.  It  is  otherwise 
with  those  who  fear  the  Lord,  seeking  their  happi- 
ness in  him.  They  shall  not  want  any  good  thing. 
If  their  God  crowns  their  lives  with  mercies  and 
loving  kindnesses,  he  will  look  to  it  that  their  pros- 
perity shall  not  injure  them.  If  he  visits  them  with 
the  rod,  and  strips  them  of  their  earthly  comforts,  he 
will  still  so  order  the  providence  that  affliction  shall 
be  better  for  them  than  prosperity  would  have  been. 
God  will  allow  those  who  fear  him  to  lack  nothing 
which  will  be  really  a  good  to  them. 

Verse  11.  Come,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me:  I  will  teach 
you  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 

That  is,  I  will  teach  you  how  God  should  be 
feared,  and  why  he  should  be  feared.  This  seems  to 
be  David's  thought  here,  which  thought  he  draws 
out,  illustrates,  and  expands  in  the  remaining  verses 
of  the  psalm. 

Verse  12.     What  man  is  he  that  desireth  life,  and  lovcth  many 
days,  that  he  may  see  good  ? 
36 


422  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

That  is,  who  desires  to  Kve  a  long  and  happy  life, 
to  have  many  days  allotted  to  him  wherein  to  enjoy 
life  as  a  blessing  and  a  joy.  Whoever  of  you,  says 
David,  covets  this  blessing,  give  heed  to  the  follow- 
ing directions,  and  he  shall  obtain  the  desire  of  his 
heart. 

Verse  13.     Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil,  and  thy  lips  from  speak- 
ing guile. 

This  is  David's  first  lesson  in  teaching  the  fear  of 
the  Lord:  to  avoid  all  sins  of  the  tongue.  While  it 
is  only  a  negative  virtue,  to  utter  no  injurious  and 
no  false  word,  it  nevertheless  contributes  as  much 
toward  a  happy  life  as  any  other  that  can  be  named. 
How  rare  the  excellence  to  be  blameless  in  one's 
speech !  Hence  the  saying  of  St.  James,  "  If  any 
man  offend  not  in  word,  the  same  is  a  perfect  man, 
and  able  also  to  bridle  his  whole  body."  James  iii.  2. 
He  who  has  so  gained  the  mastery  of  his  tongue  that 
no  unkind,  unjust,  or  insincere  word  escapes  his  lips, 
certainly  cannot  be  other  than  a  happy  man.  He 
must  enjoy  a  mental  quietude  peculiarly  his  own.  If 
he  suffer  evil,  it  will  not  be  in  return  for  evil,  and  it 
can  therefore  be  easily  borne.  If  he  suffer  re- 
proaches, he  knows  that  they  are  not  the  echo  of  his 
own  words,  and  he  can  therefore  care  as  little  for 
them  as  he  cares  for  the  idle  wind.  The  grace  of 
silence  is  a  grace  that  we  do  not  sufficiently  seek  and 
cultivate.  We  reflect  too  little  how  much  the  hap- 
piness of  life  is  in  the  power  of  the  tongue,  and  how 
much  we  need  the  fear  of  God  in  our  hearts  to  con- 
trol it.  It  is,  therefore,  the  first  lesson  which  the 
Divine  Spirit  strives  to  teach  us,  when  he  infuses 
the  principles  of  the  Divine  life  into  our  minds.  He 
would  have  us,  as  our  very  first  step  in  the  fear  of 


PSALM  XXXIV.  423 

the  Lord,  govern  our  tongues  by  the  laws  of  truth 
and  love. 

Verse  14.     Depart  from  evil,  and  do  good;  seek  peace,  and  pur- 
sue it. 

"Depart  from  evil,  and  do  good."  Another  part 
of  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  a  ceasing  to  do  evil,  and  a 
learning  to  do  well.  He  whose  soul  is  filled  with 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  loving  him  as  his  Father,  and 
fearing  him  as  his  God,  will  not  be  satisfied  with  the 
merely  negative  character  of  doing  no  harm  in  the 
world.  He  will  aim  and  labour  to  do  good,  and  to 
leave  the  world  better  and  happier  for  his  having 
been  in  it.  "Seek  peace,  and  pursue  it."  He,  whose 
soul  is  filled  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  will  have  his 
heart  set  on  peace.  He  will  seek  it,  he  will  pursue 
it  with  an  energy  that  never  abates,  and  a  patience 
that  never  tires.  The  sentiment  of  his  heart  and 
the  words  of  his  lips  are,  "On  earth  peace:  good 
will  toward  men."  As  much  as  it  lieth  in  him,  he 
will  live  peaceably  with  all  men,  and  do  all  he  can 
to  persuade  all  men  to  live  peaceably  with  each 
other.  This  is  what  David  calls  the  fear  of  the 
Lord:  "keep  thy  tongue  from  evil,  and  thy  lips  from 
guile:  depart  from  evil,  and  do  good;  seek  peace  and 
pursue  it."  And  now  come  his  reasons  for  our  fear- 
ing the  Lord  in  this  way. 

Verse  15.     The  eyes  of  tlie  Lord  are  upon  the  righteous,  and 
his  ears  are  open  unto  their  cry. 

The  righteous  then  should  not  hesitate  to  under- 
take to  "keep  the  tongue  from  evil,  and  the  lips  from 
speaking  guile;  to  depart  from  evil,  and  do  good;  to 
seek  peace,  and  pursue  it."  While  thus  endeavour- 
ing to  serve  him  in  holiness  and  pureness  of  living, 
God  is  all  eye  to  watch  over  them,  and  all  ear  to 


424  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

hear  their  cry  to  him  for  help.  He  regards  with 
lively  sympathy  their  struggles  to  overcome  sin  in 
themselves  and  its  spread  over  the  earth.  How 
much  should  this  fact  encourage  us  never  to  despair 
of  perfecting  ourselves  in  any  virtue  required  of  us 
by  our  religion ! 

Verse  16.     The  face  of  tlie  Lord  is  against  them  that  do  evil,  to 
cut  off  the  remembi-ance  of  them  from  the  earth. 

God's  eyes  are  on  evil-doers  as  fixedly  as  they  are 

on  the  righteous,  but  for  a  very  difi'erent  purpose; 

not  to  deliver  them,  but  to  cut  off  the  remembrance 

of  them  from  the  earth.     It  is  as  impossible  for  God 

not  to  hate  and  punish  sin,  as  it  is  for  him  not  to  love 

and  favour  holiness.     His  nature,  therefore,  impels 

him   as    strongly   to    overwhelm    and   destroy   the 

wicked,  as  it  docs  to  deliver  and  save  the  righteous. 

This  is  a  fact  full  of  hope  to  the  righteous,  but  one 

that  should  be  full  of  fear  to  those  who  persevere  in 

their  wickedness.     The  same  eye  that  beams  upon 

one  in  light  and  love,  flashes  down  upon  the  other  as 

a  consuming  fire. 

Verse  17.    The  righteous  cry,  and  the  Lord  heareth,  and  deUver- 
eth  them  out  of  all  their  troubles. 

It  matters  not  how  many  troubles  the  righteous 
may  have,  the  Lord  delivereth  them  out  of  all.  He 
may  not  deliver  them  at  once,  but,  for  a  time, 
only  give  them  grace  to  bear  their  troubles,  until 
they  have  wrought  out  for  them  all  the  spiritual 
good  they  can  work,  and  then  the  final  deliverance 
comes.  St.  Paul  besought  the  Lord  many  times  to 
remove  his  thorn  in  the  flesh;  and  if  it  would  have 
been  for  his  spiritual  good,  no  doubt  it  would  have 
been  removed  at  once :  but  it  was  needful  to  the  per- 
fecting of  his  Christian  character.     The  Lord,  there- 


PSALM  XXXIV.  425 

fore  instead  of  removing  it,  gave  him  grace  still  to 
bear  it.  2  Cor.  xii.  7-9.  In  this  way  God  often 
makes  the  troubles  of  the  righteous  man  his  most 
precious  blessings. 

Verse  18.  Tlie  Lord  is  nigh  unto  them  that  arc  (jf  a  broken 
heart;  and  saveth  such  as  be  of  a  contrite  spirit. 

God  regards  the  penitent  soul  with  tenderest  sym- 
pathy. The  sighs  of  its  contrition  go  direct  to  his 
heart.  Its  broken  meanings  over  its  sinfulness  move 
him  as  nothing  else  can.  "For  thus  saith  the  high 
and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name 
is  Holy ;  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with  him 
also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive 
the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of 
the  contrite  ones."  Isa.  Ivii.  15.  What  a  balm 
should  such  words  as  these  be  to  the  heart  of  all 
those  who  are  truly  grieving  over  their  sins,  to  whom 
the  remembrance  of  them  is  grievous,  the  burden  of 
them  intolerable. 

Verses  19,  20.  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous:  but 
the  Lord  delivereth  him  out  of  them  all.  He  keepeth  all  his 
bones;  not  one  of  them  is  broken. 

It  is  only  entire  ultimate  deliverance  from  all  his 
afflictions  that  God  promises  the  righteous  man.  He 
necessarily  sutlers  so  long  as  he  sins ;  and  the  most 
thoroughly  righteous  man  will  sin,  more  or  less,  to 
the  last.  The  most  thoroughly  righteous  man,  then, 
will  suffer  more  or  less  to  the  last.  Sin,  even  in  the 
righteous  man,  is  indissolubly  connected  with  suffer- 
ing. God,  however,  will  take  care  that  none  of  his 
sufferings  shall  overcome  him;  he  will  deliver  him 
before  they  reach  that  point.  "  He  keepeth  all  his 
bones;  not  one  of  them  is  broken."  He  thus  kept 
his  own  Son ;  not  one  of  his  bones  was  broken.     No 


426  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

evil  can  befall  those  who  trust  in  God,  except  as  he 

permits   or  directs.      The  smallest  thing  connected 

with  the  believer  is  under  His  perpetual  care.     He 

has  numbered  the  very  hairs  of  his  head,  and  not  a 

hair  can  perish  without  his    consent.  Matt.  x.  30. 

"Who  would  be  without  such  a  Guardian,  Protector, 

and  God  as  this'?  and  who,  having  such  a  Guardian, 

Protector,  and  God,  should  ever  allow  his  heart  to 

be  oppressed  by  a  single  anxious  care'? 

Verse  21.     Evil  ?liall  slay  the  wicked;  and  they  that  hate  the 
righteous  shall  be  dtso'ate. 

"  The  wicked,  and  they  that  hate  the  righteous," 
are  the  same — the  same  ungodly  characters.  Their 
doom  is  that  they  "shall  be  desolate,"  that  evil  shall 
slay  them.  God  allows  no  evil  befalling  the  righteous 
ultimately  to  injure  them,  but,  on  the  contrary,  in 
the  end  overrules  it  for  their  good.  It  is  otherwise 
with  the  ills  of  life  which  befall  the  wicked ;  these  do 
them  only  harm.  There  being  in  the  ills  they  suffer 
no  hand  of  God  to  lighten,  and,  at  last,  to  remove 
them,  their  trials  come  upon  the  wicked  with  a  force 
that  overwhelms  them.  They  are  slain  by  them,  and 
perish  without  hope,  as  they  have  lived  without  hap- 
piness. There  is  no  other  fate  for  those  who  make 
not  the  Lord  their  trust. 

Verse  22.     The  Lord  redeemeth  the  soul  of  his  servants;  and 
none  of  them  that  trust  in  him  shall  be  desolate. 

This  last  verse  contains  substantially  the  teaching 
of  the  whole  psalm ;  that  is,  God's  never-failing  care 
of  those  who  endeavour  to  serve  him  in  holiness  and 
righteousness.  He  guides  them  by  his  wisdom, 
strengthens  them  by  his  grace,  protects  them  by  his 
power,  and  redeems  their  soul  from  death.  Such  is 
the  God  of  the  believer  as  he  revealed  himself  to 


PSALM   XXXV.  427 

David.  How  like  the  God  who  afterwards  revealed 
himself  to  the  world  in  the  man  Christ  Jesus!  He 
is  not  another,  but  the  same  God!  Let  us  all  then 
place  ourselves  under  his  protection  by  trusting  in 
his  mercy  and  obeying  his  laws.  Doing  this,  let 
none  of  us  fear  that  he  will  ever  leave  us  or  forsake 
ns ;  for  "  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  de- 
livered him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him 
also  freely  give  us  all  things'?"  Rom.  viii.  32. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXXV. 

Verses  1,  2.  Plead  my  cause,  0  Lord,  with  them  that  strive 
with  me:  fight  against  them  that  fight  against  me.  Take 
hold  of  shield  and  buckler,  and  stand  up  for  my  help. 

This  psalm  was  composed  by  David  while  suffering 
every  kind  of  persecution  at  the  hands  of  Saul  and 
of  his  servants.  They  were  not  only  seeking  to  take 
away  his  life,  but  left  no  slander  unuttered  that  could 
cover  his  name  and  memory  wdth  infamy.  Thus 
situated,  and  speaking  not  merely  as  an  individual, 
but  as  the  representative  of  persecuted  righteousness, 
he  prays  for  deliverance  for  himself,  and  for  confusion 
to  his  enemies.  In  fact,  the  contest  here  waged  be- 
tween David  and  his  enemies,  represents  the  contest 
that  has  ever  been  going  on  in  the  world  between 
truth  and  error,  holiness  and  sin.  Portions  of  the 
psalm,  therefore,  carry  the  mind  beyond  David  to 
David's  Son — to  him  who  was  Righteousness  itself. 
"Plead  thou  my  cause,  O  Lord."  The  man  perse- 
cuted for  righteousness'  sake  can  never  call  in  vain 


428  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

upon  God  to  plead  his  cause.  He  may  call,  assuredly 
believing  that  God  will  obtain  for  him  all  his  rights. 
The  God  of  truth  and  justice,  he  will  not  suffer  one 
who  loves  truth  and  justice  to  be  cast  in  a  judicial 
contest  with  his  enemies.  He  will  be  in  court  when 
the  trial  comes  on,  to  see  that  justice  is  done  his 
client.  This  we  might  infer  from  what  we  know  of 
his  attributes,  and  is  certainly  the  testimony  of  his 
providence. 

"Take  hold  of  shield  and  buckler."  Having  in 
the  first  verse  invoked  God  to  his  help  as  his  Judge 
and  Advocate,  David  here  invokes  him  to  come  as  a 
warrior,  witli  shield  and  buckler.  God's  protecting 
power  is  the  shield  and  buckler  with  which  he  comes 
to  the  help  of  his  people;  a  shield  and  buckler  which 
no  weapon  formed  by  man  can  penetrate  to  reach 
those  sheltered  by  it. 

Verse  3.  Draw  out  also  the  spear,  and  stop  tlie  way  against 
tliem  that  persecute  me :  say  unto  my  soul,  I  am  thy  salva- 
tion. 

It  is  not  defensive  armour  only,  but  also  offensive, 
that  David  prays  the  Lord  to  use  against  his  ene- 
mies— the  spear,  to  oppose  its  point  to  them,  while 
they  are  yet  on  their  march  against  him.  So  it  is, 
God  not  only  protects  us  against  the  evils  immedi- 
ately about  us,  but  goes  out  to  stop  the  way  against 
others  that  are  only  approaching  us.  "  Say  unto  my 
soul,  I  am  thy  salvation:"  let  me  not  only  have  thy 
saving  protection,  but  let  me  be  conscious  of  having 
it;  let  me,  as  it  w^ere,  hear  thee  saying  to  "my  soul, 
I  am  thy  salvation."  When  God  takes  us  under  his 
covenant  protection,  he  makes  us  aware  of  it:  his 
Spirit  in  some  way  bears  witness  to  our  spirits,  that 
such  is  the  fact.  llom.  viii.  16. 


PSALM    XXXV.  429 

Verses  4 — 6.  Let  them  be  confounded  and  put  to  shame  that 
seek  after  my  soul :  let  them  be  turned  back  and  brought  to 
confusion  that  devise  my  hurt.  Let  them  be  as  chaff  before 
the  wind;  and  let  the  angel  of  the  Lord  chase  them.  Let 
their  way  be  dark  and  slippery;  and  let  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
persecute  them. 

To  be  confounded,  to  be  put  to  shame,  to  be  as 

cliafF  before  the  wind,  to  have  their  way  dark  and 

slippery,  and  to  be  chased  by  the  angel  of  the  Lord, 

that  is,  to  be  pursued  by  an  avenging  and  retributive 

providence,  has  certainly  been  the  fate  of  all  who 

have   arrayed   themselves   against  the    Church  and 

people  of  God,   to    destroy  them.     David's   words, 

then,  taken  as  an  imprecation  or  as  a  prophesy,  only 

indicate  the  immutable  connection  between  wicked 

men's  opposing  the  truth,  and  their  being  destroyed. 

That  there  is  this   immutable   connection   between 

opposition  and  destruction,  no  one  will  deny,  who  is 

familiar  with  history. 

Verse  7.  For  without  cause  have  they  hid  for  me  their  net  in  a 
pit,  which  without  cause  they  have  digged  for  my  soul. 

Here  we  have  the  reason  assigned  for  the  impre- 
cations or  denunciations  of  the  three  preceding  verses. 
The  hostility  of  the  wicked  there  denounced  was 
without  cause,  without  any  provocation,  proceeding 
from  sheer  malice,  and  hearts  incurably  intent  on 
evil. 

Verse  8.  Let  destruction  come  upon  him  unawares;  and  let  his 
net  that  he  hath  hid  catch  himself:  into  that  very  destruction 
let  him  fall. 

It  has  been  the  fate  of  more  than  Haman  to  perish 
upon  his  own  gallows,  to  be  caught  in  the  net  hid  for 
another,  to  fall  into  the  very  destruction  sought  for 
the  innocent.  It  was  thus  with  Saul.  The  evil  he 
sought  to  do  David  came  upon  himself,  leaving  David 


430  LECTURES   ON   THE   TSALMS. 

free  to  ascend,  unmolested,  the  throne  which  Saul  had 
striven  so  hard  to  retain  and  perpetuate  in  his  own 
family.  It  was  thus  too  with  the  Jews.  They  cru- 
cified Christ,  lest  the  Romans  should  come  and  take 
away  their  place  and  nation,  John  xi.  48-50;  and 
their  doing  so  precipitated  upon  them  the  very  evil 
they  aimed  to  avoid.  This  recoiling  of  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  wicked  upon  themselves,  an  ordering  of 
the  Divine  Providence,  has  been  signally  illustrated 
in  regard  to  all  opposers  of  the  religion  of  the  Son  of 
David. 

Verses  9,  10.  And  my  soul  shall  rejoice  in  the  Lord:  it  shall 
rejoice  in  his  salvation.  All  my  bones  shall  say,  Lord,  who 
is  like  unto  thee,  which  dcliverest  the  poor  from  him  that  is 
too  strong  for  him,  yea,  the  poor  and  the  needy  from  him  that 
spoileth  him? 

"My  soul  shall  rejoice — all  my  bones  shall  say:" 
that  is,  with  soul  and  body,  with  every  power  of  his 
whole  nature,  David  promises  to  praise  God  for  the 
deliverance  for  which  he  has  been  praying.  There 
is  beauty  in  this  reference  to  his  body  joining  the 
soul  in  its  thanksgiving.  The  deliverance  of  David 
from  all  his  human  enemies,  and  especially  from  his 
great  enemy,  Saul,  may  represent  our  deliverance 
from  all  our  spiritual  enemies,  and  especially  from 
our  great  enemy  and  spoiler,  Death.  Accordingly, 
in  the  redemption  wrought  out  for  us  by  our  Lord, 
the  body  shares  as  largely  as  the  soul,  and  should 
therefore  rejoice  with  the  soul.  "It  is  sown  in  cor- 
ruption; it  is  raised  in  incorruption:  it  is  sown  in 
dishonour;  it  is  raised  in  glory:  it  is  sown  in  weak- 
ness; it  is  raised  in  power:  it  is  sown  a  natural  body; 
it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body."  Verily,  who  is  a  deli- 
verer like  to  thee,  O  Lord] 


rsALM  XXXV.  431 

Verses  11,  12.  False  witnesses  did  rise  up:  they  laid  to  my 
charge  things  that  I  knew  not.  They  rewarded  me  evil  for 
good,  to  the  spoiling  of  my  soul. 

It  was  the  lot  of  David,  and  of  the  Son  of  David, 
to  suifer  from  the  tongue  of  calumny.  Both  were 
charged  with  being  deceivers  of  the  people,  exciters 
of  sedition,  the  enemies  and  subverters  of  religion. 
Both  laboured  to  do  their  nation  only  good,  and  yet 
both  experienced  in  return  only  evil — David,  till  he 
came  to  the  throne;  Christ,  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
This  treatment  of  them  was  to  the  spoiling  of  their 
souls,  and  filled  their  hearts  with  a  grief  harder  to  be 
borne  than  any  other.  It  was  a  blow  for  a  kiss, 
curses  for  blessings.  These  are  things  hard  to  bear; 
and  the  more  loving  the  heart  upon  which  they  fall, 
the  more  deeply  they  wound  it. 

Verses  13, 14.  But  as  for  me,  when  they  were  sick,  my  clothing 
was  sackcloth:  I  humbled  my  soul  with  fasting;  and  my 
prayer  returned  into  mine  own  bosom.  I  behaved  myself  as 
though  he  had  been  my  friend  or  brother;  I  bowed  down 
heavily,  as  one  that  mourneth  for  his  mother. 

How  certainly  Divine  must  that  religion  be,  which 
leads  one  not  to  rejoice,  but  grieve  over  the  misfor- 
tunes of  its  worst  enemies!  David  shed  tears  of  as 
sincere  grief  over  the  death  of  Saul,  as  any  other 
subject  of  his  kingdom.  He  put  on  sackcloth,  flxsted, 
and  prayed;  and  his  head  was  so  bowed  down  with 
sorrow,  that  his  prayer  passed  from  his  lips  into  his 
bosom.  2  Sam.  i.  11,  12.  It  was  the  same  with  the 
Son  of  David.  He,  too,  grieved  over  the  calamities 
befalling  his  worst  enemies,  as  if  each  had  been  a 
friend  or  brother.  His  spirit  was  oppressed  with 
sorrow  for  them.  It  is  said  of  Him,  that  he  was 
never  known  to  smile,  though  he  was  often  seen  in 
tears ;  and  certainly  his  tears  could  not  have  been  for 


432  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

himself,  nor  any  holy  being.  You  recollect  his  weep- 
ing lament  over  Jerusalem,  out  of  which  it  was 
impossible  that  a  prophet  should  perish — "  O  Jerusa- 
lem, Jerusalem,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered 
thy  children  together  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens 
under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not."  Matt,  xxiii.  37. 
You  recollect,  too,  his  prayer  upon  the  cross,  for  his 
murderers — "Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do."  Luke  xxiii.  34.  "We  ask  no 
stronger  proof  of  the  divinity  of  our  holy  religion, 
than  its  awakening  grief  for  the  misfortunes  of  ene- 
mies— its  pitying  the  hand  that  smites,  and  praying 
for  the  hand  that  crucifies. 

Verses  15,  16,  But  in  mine  adversity  they  rejoiced  and  gath- 
ered themselves  together:  yea,  the  abjects  gathered  them- 
selves together  against  me,  and  I  knew  it  not :  they  did  tear 
me,  and  ceased  not :  with  hypocritical  mockers  in  feasts,  they 
gnashed  upon  me  with  their  teeth. 

Behold  in  these  words  the  contrast  between  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  and  the  spirit  of  the  world:  between 
the  spirit  of  the  truly  regenerate  man,  and  the  spirit 
of  every  one  of  us  as  we  are  born  into  the  world. 
The  misfortunes  of  his  enemies  were  a  grief  to 
David:  to  them  his  misfortunes  were  a  joy.  They 
delighted  in  his  adversity,  and  gathered  themselves 
together  to  aggravate  it  in  every  way  that  malice 
could  suggest.  Abjects,  the  veriest  dregs  of  society, 
men  of  whose  existence,  or,  certainly,  of  whose  hos- 
tility he  knew  not,  until  the  time  of  his  adversity, 
were  among  his  most  vociferous  defamers;  they  did 
tear,  and  ceased  not.  Hypocritical  mockers  in 
feasts,  gnashed  upon  him  with  their  teeth,  like 
hounds  hissed  on  by  the  masters  who  had  fed  them. 
This  is  certainly  a  dark  picture  that  David  draws  of 


PSALM   XXXV.  433 

his  enemies.  Was  it  not,  however,  realized,  and 
more  than  realized,  in  the  enemies  of  the  Son  of 
David]  What  abject,  or  what  man  willing  to  do  the 
work  of  even  perjured  detraction  for  his  bread,  did 
the  rulers  of  the  Jews  not  retain  and  use  to  accom- 
plish their  murderous  designs  against  Messiah? 
What  insult  did  they  not  offer  him  before  he  breathed 
his  last  upon  the  cross  I  Who  was  there  among  them 
too  high,  or  too  low,  not  to  mock  at  his  calamity"? 
Did  the  high  priest,  the  highest  of  the  nation,  revile 
him  as  an  impostor "?  So  did,  at  least,  one  of  the 
thieves  crucified  with  him,  cast  the  same  in  his 
teeth.  Matt,  xxvii.  4.  And  that,  too,  while  there 
were  sounding  in  their  ears,  those  wonderful  words, 
"  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do !"  O  the  wickedness  of  the  human  heart  when 
left  to  itself!  The  depths  of  its  depravity  God  alone 
can  sound,  and  his  Spirit  alone  light  up  with  the 
light  of  life. 

Verse  17.     Lord,  how  long  wilt  thou  look  on?  rescue  my  soul 
from  their  destructions,  my  darling  from  the  lions. 

"Lord,  how  long  wilt  thou  look  on"  as  an  uncon- 
cerned spectator  of  my  situation]  I  am  surrounded  by 
dangers  from  which  thou  alone  canst  rescue  me :  come 
thou  to  my  help :  save  my  soul  from  them  who  would 
destroy  it:  my  darling*  from  enemies  as  active,  pow- 
erful, and  relentless  as  young  lions.  These  words 
express  an  urgency  of  desire  amounting  almost  to 
impatience.  They  remind  one  of  the  nobleman's 
words,  seeking  relief  for  his  sick  son.  Coming  to 
our  Lord  and  entreating  him  to  go  down  to  Caper- 
naum with  him,  to  heal  his  son,  but  thinking  that  he 
lingered,  he  cried  out,  "  Sir,  come  down  ere  my  child 

*  Darling  here  means  soul. 

37 


434  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

die."  Without  farther  delay  our  Lord  replied,  "  Go 
thy  way;  thy  son  liveth."  John  iv.  49,  50.  When 
some  great  grief  oppresses  the  heart,  God  is  not  dis- 
pleased if  the  cry  for  help  is  vehement.  His  own 
Son,  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  offered  up  prayers  and 
supphcations,  with  strong  crying  and  tears,  and  was 
heard.  Heb.  v.  7. 

Verse  18.  I  will  give  tliee  thanks  in  the  great  congregation:  I 
will  praise  thee  among  much  people. 

To  praise  God  with  grateful  hearts  is  the  only 
return  any  of  his  creatures  can  make  him  for  his 
mercies  to  them.  This  David  promises  here.  In 
the  great  congregation,  among  much  people,  he  will 
thank  and  praise  God,  if  he  vouchsafe  him  the 
deliverance  he  sought.  He  will  proclaim  to  his 
whole  church  how  great  a  Deliverer  and  Saviour  the 
Lord  is.  This  will  be  the  employment  of  the  re- 
deemed in  heaven,  and  throughout  eternity;  their 
anthem  of  praise  to  Him  that  loved  them  and  washed 
them  from  their  sins  in  his  own  blood,  evermore 
increasing  in  fervour  and  heightened  gratitude. 

Verse  19.  Let  not  them  that  are  mine  enemies  wrongfully  re- 
joice over  me;  neither  let  them  wink  with  the  eye  that  hate 
me  without  a  cause. 

One  greater  than  David  quoted  the  last  words  of 
this  verse  as  spoken  of  himself  Christ  says  of  his 
enemies,  "They  hated  me  without  a  cause."  John 
XV.  25,  We  must  reckon  many  things  that  David 
says  of  himself  and  his  enemies  in  this  psalm,  as 
being  said  in  a  still  higher  sense  of  Christ  and  his 
enemies.  This  is  the  case  with  many  of  the  psalms: 
we  give  them  the  full  extent  of  their  meaning,  not 
imtil  we  apply  them  to  Christ  as  well  as  to  David. 
He,  more  than  any  other,  was  hated  without  a  cause. 


PSALM   XXXV.  435 

His  betrayer  was  obliged  to  acknowledge  that  he  was 
innocent;  and  Pilate  when  he  gave  him  up  to  bo 
crucified,  that  he  had  found  no  fault  in  him.  Surely 
his  enemies  rejoiced  over  him  wrongfully.  Their 
rejoicing,  however,  was  of  short  duration.  "When 
God  brought  him  again  from  the  dead,  their  rejoicing 
was  at  an  end.  How  careful  should  we  be,  if  hated, 
that  it  shall  be  without  cause:  then  may  we  with 
confidence  look  to  God  for  deliverance.  The  cry  of 
innocence  can  never  ascend  to  him  in  vain. 

Verse  20.     For  they  speak  not  peace;  but  they  devise  deceitful 
matters  against  them  that  are  quiet  in  the  land. 

David  would  gladly  have  remained  quiet  in  the 
holy  land  under  the  government  of  Saul,  and  our 
Lord  under  the  government  of  the  Romans;  but 
their  enemies  were  not  for  peace;  they  devised  de- 
ceitful matters  against  them;  so  misled  the  people 
in  regard  to  their  purposes,  motives,  and  conduct,  as 
to  oblige  them,  at  times,  to  flee  the  land  to  save  their 
lives.  Nor  has  this  treatment  been  experienced  only 
by  David  and  the  Son  of  David.  Many  a  follower 
of  Christ,  to  escape  the  fury  of  enemies  whose  good 
was  the  sole  aim  of  his  life,  has  had  to  flee  the  home 
where  he  would  gladly  have  remained  quiet. 

Verse  21.     Yea,  they  opened  their  mouth  wide  against  me,  and 
said,  Aha,  aha!  our  eye  hath  seen  it. 

That  is,  our  eye  hath  at  length  seen  what  it  has 

long  desired  to  see,  the  downfall  of  our  hated  enemy ! 

He  is  snared  at  last,  and  we  enjoy  the  sight,  no  one 

can  tell  how  much !     Such  is  the  spirit  of  the  "  Aha, 

aha!  our  eye  hath  seen  it."     It  indicates  the  most 

malicious  and  mocking  exultation;  such  as  that  in 

which  the  Jews  indulged,  when  they  at  last  beheld 

Christ  upon  the  cross,  wagging  the  head  and  saying, 


436  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

"Ah,  thou  that  destroyest  the  temple,  and  buildest  it 
again  in  three  days,  save  thyself.  If  thou  be  the  Son 
of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross.  He  trusted  in 
God;  let  him  deliver  him  now  if  he  will  have  him. 
He  saved  others,  himself  he  cannot  save.  If  he  be 
the  King  of  Israel,  let  him  now  come  down  from 
the  cross,  and  we  will  believe  on  him."  Matt,  xxvii. 
39-43.  How  fearful  an  exhibition  of  human  de- 
pravity and  hatred  of  righteousness !  Fearful  indeed  I 
and  yet  who  among  us,  if  we  had  been  there,  can 
say  that  we  would  not  have  joined  in  the  frantic 
exultation "?  Not  one.  If  any  of  us  are  at  all  better 
than  the  crucifiers  of  our  Lord,  we  are  so  altogether 
by  the  restraining  or  regenerating  grace  of  God. 

Verses  22-24.  This  thou  hast  seen,  0  Lord;  keep  not  silence: 
0  Lord,  be  not  far  from  me.  Stir  up  thyself,  and  awake  to 
my  judgment,  even  unto  my  cause,  my  God  and  my  Lord. 
Judge  me,  0  Lord  my  God,  according  to  thy  righteousness : 
and  let  them  not  rejoice  over  me. 

These  several  phrases,  "keep  not  silence — be  not 
far  from  me — stir  up  thyself,  and  awake  to  my  judg- 
ment, my  cause — judge  me — let  them  not  rejoice 
over  me,"  are  all  the  utterances  of  a  heart  which 
feels  that  it  cannot  be  denied  its  requests;  that  its 
petitions  must  be  granted,  and  that,  too,  soon.  These 
accumulated  petitions  indicate  the  state  of  desire  in 
which  we  may  suppose  Jacob  to  have  been,  when, 
though  he  had  already  wrestled  with  the  angel  of 
the  covenant  in  prayer,  from  evening  till  the  dawn 
of  day,  he  still  persevered,  saying,  "I  will  not  let 
thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me."  Gen.  xxxii.  26. 
"This  thou  hast  seen,  O  Lord" — thou  hast  seen  all 
of  which  I  have  complained,  the  number,  power,  and 
cruel  hatred  of  my  enemies.  Lord,  save  me ;  I  perish 
without  thy  help.     Delay  thine  aid  no  longer.     It 


PSALM   XXXV.  437 

was  thus,  no  doubt,  that  David  prayed  in  some  great 

moral  crisis  of  his  life;  and  thus,  too,  that  the  Son 

of  David  prayed  in  the  garden  and  upon  the  cross. 

There  is  many  a  crisis  in  the  believer's  history  when 

the  strong,  oft-reiterated  cry  for  help  is  the  only  form 

of  prayer  that  can  adequately  express  his  sense  of 

danger  and  desire  for  deliverance. 

Verse  25.  Let  tliem  not  say  in  their  hearts,  Ah!  so  would  wo 
have  it :  let  them  not  say,  We  have  swallowed  him  up. 

The  exclamation,  "Ah,  so  would  we  have  it!"  in- 
dicates the  extreme  pleasure  with  which  the  enemies 
of  the  righteous  would  witness  any  overwhelming 
calamity  befalling  him.  They  would  hail  it  as  the 
realization  of  the  most  cherished  desire  of  their 
hearts,  and  be  ready  to  add,  "we  have  swallowed  him 
up,"  "we  have  utterly  overthrown  him."  So  the 
Jews  thought  and  expressed  themselves  when  they 
had  crucified  our  Lord,  and  consigned  him  to  the 
grave.  But  they  were  mistaken;  as  all  others  have 
been  who  have  fancied  that  they  had  accomplished 
the  overthrow  of  one  for  whom  God  cares. 

Verse  26.  Let  them  be  ashamed  and  brought  to  confusion  to- 
gether that  rejoice  at  mine  hurt:  let  them  be  clothed  with 
shame  and  dishonour  that  magnify  themselves  against  me." 

Here  again  David  prays  for  the  shame,  confusion, 
and  dishonour  of  his  enemies;  but  only,  we  are 
allowed  to  believe,  upon  the  supposition  of  their 
continuing  implacable.  God  delighteth  not  in  the 
death,  but  in  the  repentance  of  the  sinner,  and 
David,  speaking  as  the  representative  of  "  God  mani- 
fested in  the  flesh,"  could  not  pray  for  the  uncondi- 
tional destruction  of  his  worst  enemies.  He  could, 
however,  without  any  violation  of  charity,  pray  that, 
if  they  would  not  desist  from  their  course,  they  might 
37* 


438  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS, 

be  covered  with  the  shame,  confasion,  and  dishonour 
with  which  they  were  seeking  to  cover  him.  And 
such  has,  in  fact,  always  been  the  doom  of  all  those 
who  have  rejoiced  at  the  hurt  of  the  King  of  Israel, 
and  magnified  themselves  against  him. 

Verse  27.  Let  tliem  shout  for  joy,  and  be  glad,  that  favour  my 
righteous  cause;  yea,  let  them  say  continually,  Let  the  Lord 
be  magnified,  which  hath  pleasure  in  the  prosperity  of  his 
servant. 

It  is  not  because  they  are  his  friends,  otherwise 
than  as  they  are  the  friends  of  righteousness,  that 
David  here  prays  that  they  who  favour  his  cause  may 
shout  for  joy  and  be  glad.  He  desires  that  they  may 
be  jubilant  only  as  the  Lord  gives  them  occasion  to 
be  so,  by  the  favour  he  shows  him,  his  servant.  Of 
course,  the  principle  applies  to  all  like  cases. 

Verse  28.  And  my  tongue  shall  speak  of  thy  righteousness  and 
of  thy  praise,  all  the  day  long. 

If  the  deliverance  sought  is  vouchsafed  him,  David 
here  promises  the  only  return  he  could  make  for  it, 
to  proclaim  the  fact  with  unceasing  praise.  "My 
tongue  shall  speak  of  thy  righteousness,"  of  thy  vin- 
dication and  justification  of  me  against  the  accusa- 
tions of  mine  enemies.  There  is  a  higher  justifica- 
tion for  which  all  Christians  are  bound  to  thank 
God  with  praise  unceasing — his  justification  of  them, 
though  guilty,  against  all  the  accusations  of  the 
Divine  law,  Satan,  and  their  own  consciences;  his 
treating  them,  for  Christ's  sake,  as  if  they  were  both 
innocent  and  righteous. 

It  has  often  been  remarked  as  a  great  beauty  of 
the  psalms,  that  there  is  not  a  phase  either  of  per- 
sonal or  national  experience,  which  they  do  not  de- 
scribe.   This  thirty-fifth  psalm  has  for  us  Americans 


PSALM  XXXV.  439 

a  historical  association  of  peculiar  interest.  It  is  the 
opening  psalm  in  the  psalter  for  the  seventh  clay  of 
the  month.  On  that  day,  September  7,  1774,  the 
third  day  after  its  members  had  convened  in  Phila- 
delphia, the  proceedings  of  the  first  American  Con- 
gress were  opened  by  prayer  and  other  devotional 
exercises.  The  officiating  clergyman  was  an  Epis- 
copalian. He  used  the  psalter  for  the  day ;  and  how — 
excited  as  the  delegates  must  have  been  by  the 
rumour  of  the  cannonade  of  Boston  by  the  British, 
which  rumour  had  reached  the  city  only  the  day 
before — how  must  their  hearts  have  thrilled  at  the 
words,  "Plead  my  cause,  O  Lord,  with  them  that 
strive  with  me:  fight  against  them  that  fight  against 
me.  Take  hold  of  shield  and  buckler,  and  stand 
up  for  mine  help.  Draw  out,  also,  the  spear,  and 
stop  the  way  against  them  that  persecute  me :  say 
unto  my  soul,  I  am  thy  salvation."  These  imploring 
words  spoke  the  feelings  of  all  hearts  present.  One 
of  the  most  eminent  of  the  delegates  has  written, 
"I  never  saw  a  greater  efi'ect  upon  an  audience.  It 
seemed  as  if  Heaven  had  ordained  that  psalm  to  be 
read  on  that  morning."  Whether  or  not  Heaven 
ordained  the  psalm  to  be  read  on  that  morning,  we 
cannot  say:  we  no  more  doubt,  however,  that  God 
was  with  us  in  achieving  our  political  liberties,  than 
we  doubt  that  he  was  with  David  and  the  Son  of 
David  in  achieving  our  spiritual  liberties,  our  re- 
demption from  hell  and  the  grave.  May  he  give  us 
all  grace  to  make  a  wise  use  of  both  the  bright  heri- 
tages with  which  he  has  blessed  us. 


440  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXXVI. 

To  the  Chief  Musician.     A  Psalm  of  David,  the  servant  of  the 
Lord. 

Commentators  are  not  agreed  as  to  the  occasion  on 
which  this  psalm  was  written.  The  more  common 
opinion  among  them  is,  that  it  was  written  by  David 
about  the  beginning  of  his  persecution  by  Saul;  at 
the  time  when  Saul,  though  still  professing  friend- 
ship and  conferring  honours  upon  him,  had  his  heart 
set  upon  his  ruin,  and  was  secretly  plotting  it.  If 
he  allude  to  Saul,  it  is  to  Saul  as  representing  in  the 
spirit  and  temper  of  his  mind  the  ungodly  world. 
What,  therefore,  he  says  of  Saul,  we  may  apply  to 
every  ungodly  man :  and  what  he  says  of  himself,  we 
may  also  apply  to  one  whose  moral  nature  has  been 
renewed  from  heaven.  Saul  stands  here  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  wicked ;  David,  as  the  representative 
of  the  righteous.  Each  is  a  representative  man.  In 
the  title  of  the  psalm,  David  is  called  "the  servant 
of  the  Lord,"  an  intimation  that  he  spoke  by  inspi- 
ration, and  therefore  that  what  he  says  of  the  wicked 
man,  of  the  righteous  man,  and  of  the  Lord,  must  be 
true.  He  depicts  in  vivid  contrast  the  wickedness  of 
man,  and  the  goodness  of  God,  and  prays  that  the 
Divine  mercy  may  never  be  wanting  to  him  in  time 
of  need. 


Verse  1.     The  transgression  of  the   wicked  saith  within  my 
heart,  that  there  is  no  fear  of  God  before  his  eyes. 

The  first  part  of  this  verse  is  obscure :  it  would  not 

be  so,  however,  if  the  Hebrew  word  rendered  "saith" 

had  been  rendered,  the  oracle,  the  Divine  voice  within 


PSALM  xxxvr.  441 

my  heart.  If  the  original  had  been  so  translated 
into  English,  the  whole  verse  would  read,  The 
oracle,  the  divine  voice  in  my  heart,  respecting  the 
transgression  of  the  wicked,  is,  that  there  is  no  fear 
of  God  before  his  eyes.  The  voice  in  David's  heart 
was  the  voice  of  God  testifying  to  the  wickedness  of 
man.  Its  testimony  is,  that  there  is  no  fear  of  God 
before  his  eyes.  He  lives  and  acts  without  any 
reference  to  God  as  the  righteous  Governor  of  the 
universe.  AVe  read  elsewhere,  that  "the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,"  the  principle 
whence  proceeds  everything  that  is  holy,  just  and 
good;  the  absence  of  his  fear  is  the  beginning  of 
folly,  the  principle  whence  proceeds  every  evil  that 
can  be  named.  If  men  fear  not  the  Divine  Majesty, 
there  is  nothing  for  them  to  fear;  if  they  fear  not  his 
holiness,  justice,  and  power,  there  is  nothing  to 
restrain  them  from  attempting  any  evil  thing  they 
may  set  their  hearts  upon.  And  yet  this  is  the  sad 
moral  condition  of  us  all  by  nature;  we  come  into 
the  world,  having  in  our  hearts  no  reverence,  no 
regard  for  even  Infinite  Excellence:  and  from  this 
sad  moral  condition  none  of  us  escape  till  our  hearts 
are  changed  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Till  then  there 
is  no  true  fear  of  God  before  our  eyes. 

Verse  2.     For  lie  flattereth  himself  in  his  own  eyes,  until  his 
iniquity  be  found  to  be  hateful. 

Plaving  shut  out  from  his  mind  all  thoughts  of  God 
as  the  avenger  of  evil,  the  sinner  flatters  himself  that 
he  will  escape  the  punishment  due  his  sins.  As  he 
fancies  that  God  will  not  find  out  his  iniquity,  to  hate 
it,  and  punish  for  it,  he  recklessly  adds  sin  to  sin, 
and  transgression  to  transgression.  So  secure  does 
he  become  in  his  thoughts,  that,  when  God's  curse 


442  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

against  iniquity  is  sounding  in  his  ears,  even  then  he 
blesses  "himself  in  his  heart,  saying,  I  shall  have 
peace,  though  I  walk  in  the  imagination  of  my  heart." 
Deut.  xxix.  19.  So  confident  is  he  of  impunity  in 
sinning,  that  he  is  prepared  to  say,  with  the  ungodly 
in  Isaiah,  "I  have  made  a  covenant  with  death,  and 
with  hell  am  I  at  agreement:  when  the  overflowing 
scourge  shall  pass  through,  it  shall  not  come  unto 
me."  Isa.  xxviii.  15.  He  imagines  that,  whatever 
evils  befall  others,  he  will  escape.  Even  God's 
threatened  final  wrath  causes  him  no  alarm.  He 
beguiles  himself  into  the  fancy  that  it  will  not  reach 
him. 

Verse  3.     The  words  of  liis  moutli  are  iniquity  and  deceit:  lie 
hath  left  off  to  be  wise,  and  to  do  good. 

In  the  preceding  verse  we  have  had  described  what 
the  wicked  man  is  in  the  thoughts  of  his  heart:  in 
this  verse  we  have  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  embody- 
ing themselves  in  his  words  and  actions.  His  words 
"are  iniquity  and  deceit:"  "out  of  the  abundance  of 
his  heart  his  mouth  speaketh."  And  as  to  his  actions, 
he  has  "left  off  to  be  wise,  and  to  do  good;"  to  act 
-wisely,  to  act  well.  He  is  governed  in  his  conduct 
by  no  wise  and  just  rules  of  action.  He  does  not 
care  to  maintain  even  the  appearance  of  well-doing. 
To  such  recklessness  in  sinning,  every  man  who  casts 
off  the  fear  of  God  is  liable  to  be  brought. 

Verse  4.    He  deviseth  mischief  upon  his  bed;  he  scttcth  himself 
in  a  way  that  is  not  good;  he  abhorreth  not  evil. 

"He  deviseth  mischief  upon  his  bed:"  evil  is 
sweeter  to  him  than  his  sleep.  His  love  of  it  keeps 
him  waking,  to  concoct  plans  for  accomplishing  it. 
"He  setteth  himself  in  a  way  that  is  not  good:"  there 
is  no  wavering  in  his  career.     He  presses  on  with 


rsALM  XXXVI.  443 

ever-strengthing  resolution  to  the  accomplishment  of 
the  sinful  desires  of  his  heart.  "He  abhorreth  not 
evil:"  no,  he  loves  it.  Evil  is  his  good;  the  delight 
of  his  heart,  and  the  employment  of  his  life.  "  There 
is  no  fear  of  God  before  his  eyes.  For  he  flattereth 
himself  in  his  own  eyes,  until  his  iniquity  be  found 
to  be  hateful.  The  words  of  his  mouth  are  iniquity 
and  deceit :  he  hath  left  off  to  be  wise,  and  to  do  good. 
He  deviseth  mischief  upon  his  bed ;  he  setteth  him- 
self in  a  way  that  is  not  good;  he  abhorreth  not  evil." 
But  who  is  this  man,  whose  moral  character  is  here 
so  darkly  drawn'?  Unconverted  reader,  "thou  art 
the  man."  And  so  is  every  man  of  the  whole  world 
of  mankind,  who  still  retains,  unchanged,  the  moral 
nature  with  which  he  was  born  into  the  world.  Every 
such  man  is  more  or  less  the  wicked  man  here  des- 
cribed, and  capable  of  becoming,  and  liable  to  become 
as  completely  given  up  to  the  love  and  service  of  sin 
as  he  was.  And  what  can  the  righteous  man — sur- 
rounded by  a  world  of  such  wicked  men,  loving  sin 
and  hating  righteousness,  and  the  righteous  man, 
because  of  his  righteousness — what  can  the  righteous 
man  expect  at  their  hands  ^  Certainly  nothing  good. 
His  only  hope,  therefore,  is  to  look  to  the  Lord, 
saying, 

Verse  5.     Thy  mercy,  0  Lord,  is  in  the  heavens;  and  thy  faith- 
fuhiess  reacheth  unto  the  clouds. 

Here  begins  the  contrast  between  the  wickedness 
of  man  and  the  goodness  of  God.  All  the  thoughts 
and  doings  of  man  are  evil,  and  only  evil,  continually: 
all  the  thoughts  and  doings  of  God  are  true  and 
righteous  altogether.  God's  fidelity  to  his  word,  his 
never  failing  to  realize  any  promise  of  good  to  his 
people,  loomed  up  before  David's  mind,  like  the  pillar 


444  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

of  cloud  before  the  eyes  of  the  Israelites  in  the  wilder- 
ness. It  was  his  shade  by  day, -his  light  by  night. 
Man  would  make  promises  of  good,  and  not  keep 
them — not  so  the  God  of  Israel.  His  promises  are  as 
certain  to  be  fulfilled  as  they  are  made. 

Verse  6.  Thy  righteousness  is  like  the  great  mountains;  thy 
judgments  are  a  great  deep:  0  Lord,  thou  preservest  man 
and  beast. 

God's  righteousness  is  as  unlimited  as  his  faithful- 
ness and  mercy — that  is,  his  righteousness  in  dis- 
pensing to  every  man  according  to  his  works.  It  is  as 
conspicuous  in  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
world,  as  the  great  mountains.  It  is  in  stern  and  lofty 
majesty  that  the  retributive  righteousness  of  God 
stands  out  before  the  eyes  of  men,  in  the  history  of  the 
race.  "  Thy  judgments  are  a  great  deep;"  or,  a  mighty 
flood.  There  is  thought  to  be  an  allusion  here  to  the 
avenging  righteousness  of  God,  as  it  was  seen  in  the 
deluge — his  judgments  sweeping  away  those  against 
whom  they  are  directed,  as  the  waters  of  the  deluge 
swept  away  the  wicked  of  Noah's  day.  Why,  then, 
should  the  righteous  fear  lest  the  wicked  gain  and 
retain  the  ascendency  in  the  earth  ?  "  O  Lord,  thou 
preservest  man  and  beast:"  in  the  ark  he  preserved 
them,  when  the  waters  of  the  deluge  drowned  the 
whole  world  beside.  This  fact  encouraged  David  to 
believe  that,  however  overwhelming  and  wide-spread 
they  might  be,  he  would  never  be  harmed  by  any 
judgments  that  God  might  send  upon  the  wicked; 
that,  in  the  midst  of  the  most  desolating  of  such 
judgments,  God  would  keep  him  still  alive  and  safe. 
He  preserved  the  beast  of  the  field  and  the  bird  of 
air  alive  in  the  ark,  and  surely  he  cannot  take  less 
care  of  a  creature  made  in  his  own  image,  and  hoping 


PSALM  XXXVI.  445 

in  his  mercy.  Yes,  believer,  if  God  care  for  the 
sparrow,  think  you  that  he  can  ever  fail  to  care  for 
theel 

Verse  7.  How  excellent  is  thy  loving-kindness,  0  God!  there- 
fore the  children  of  men  put  their  trust  under  the  shudow  of 
thy  wings. 

God's  loving-kindness  to  his  creatures  is  manifest 
in  the  exercise  of  all  his  attributes.  Its  excellency, 
however,  is  most  conspicuous  in  the  manifestations  of 
his  mercy  to  those  who  have  taken  refuge  in  it.  It  is 
the  tenderness  with  which  he  treats  them  that  most 
surely  persuades  the  children  of  men  to  put  their 
trust  under  the  shadow  of  his  wings.  When  we  hear 
Him  who  was  "  God  manifested  in  the  flesh,"  saying 
to  the  most  wicked  of  the  wicked,  "  How  often  would 
I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a 
hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings!"  (Matt, 
xxiii.  37,)  we  cannot  but  realize  that  there  is  a  depth 
of  love  in  the  Divine  heart  that  has  never  been 
fathomed,  and  never  can  be.  Even  they  who  have 
experienced  most  of  it,  and  been  drawn  by  it  to 
become  the  servants  of  God,  cannot  describe  it  fully; 
they  can  only  say  with  David,  "  How  excellent  is  thy 
loving-kindness,  O  God!" 

Verse  8.  They  shall  be  abundantly  satisfied  with  the  fatness  of 
thy  house;  and  thou  shalt  make  them  drink  of  the  river  of 
thy  pleasures. 

To  be  abundantly  satisfied  with  the  fatness  of 
God's  house,  is  to  be  made  partakers  of  the  rich 
blessings  and  pure  pleasures  of  his  holy  religion — its 
love,  its  joy,  its  peace,  and  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  in  the  fulness  of  their  power  to  bring  rest  to 
the  soul.  This  shall  be  the  blessed  lot  of  all  the 
children  of  men  who  put  their  trust  in  the  shadow 
38  • 


446  LECTURES    ON  THE   PSALMS. 

of  the  Divine  mercy.  "Thou  shalt  make  them  drink 
of  the  river  of  thy  pleasures;"  the  river  of  thy  edens, 
of  thy  delights.  Eden  means  delight,  and  there  is 
thought  to  be  an  allusion  here  to  the  river  that  went 
out  from  Eden  to  water  the  garden.  Gen.  ii.  10.  If 
this  be  so,  how  full  and  abounding  does  it  represent 
the  flow  of  God's  grace  to  those  who  have  taken 
refuge  in  his  mercy.  It  is  not  as  a  rill,  but  as  a 
river,  that  he  pours  it  into  their  hearts.  Many  a 
believer  has  said  in  his  dying  hour,  "My  peace  is  as 
a  river;"  and  every  believer  will  say  it  with  even 
greater  emphasis  when  he  shall  at  length  drink  of 
the  pure  river  of  the  waters  of  life,  clear  as  crystal, 
proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the 
Lamb. 

Vekse  9.    For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life;  in  thy  light  shall 
we  see  light. 

"  The  fountain  of  life."  God  has  within  himself 
not  only  the  power  to  give  and  sustain  life,  but  also 
the  power  to  crown  it  with  every  good  that  can 
render  it  desirable.  When  he  speaks  peace  to  the 
soul,  no  created  power  can  disturb  its  serenity;  the 
river  of  its  pleasiu-es  flows  on  for  ever  full,  and  inex- 
haustible as  its  fountain,  God  himself. 

"In  thy  light  shall  we  see  light."  When  God 
smiles  upon  us,  it  is  impossible  for  us  not  to  be 
happy.  If  he  but  lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance 
upon  us,  a  joy  fills  the  heart  that  is  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory.  We  can  then  rejoice,  even  though 
men  should  destroy  the  body;  we  know  that  they 
can  do  no  more;  that  the  soul  escapes  their  hands, 
and  ascends,  unharmed,  to  its  great  Fountain  of  life 
and  light. 


PSALM  xxxvr.  447 

Verse  10.     0  continue  thy  loving-kindness  unto  them  that  know 
thee;  and  thy  righteousness  to  the  upright  in  heart. 

Still  be  to  them  what  thou  hast  ever  been,  their 
life,  their  light,  and  their  salvation.  "Unto  them 
that  know  thee."  The  knowledge  of  God  here  in- 
tended, is  not  a  mere  intellectual  knowledge.  It  is 
knowledge  instinct  with  love.  It  is  such  a  know- 
ledge of  God  as  none  but  those  who  have  been  made 
upright  in  heart  can  have.  It  is  a  knowledge  of 
God  which  we  can  have  only  by  having  our  affec- 
tions purified  by  Divine  grace,  and  his  love  shed 
abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  "  He  that 
loveth  not,  knoweth  not  God;  for  God  is  love." 
1  John  iv.  8.  To  all,  however,  who  know  him  in 
love,  God's  loving-kindness  will  be  continued,  both 
here  and  ever. 

Verse  11.     Let  not  the  foot  of  pride  come  against  me,  and  let 
not  the  hand  of  the  wicked  remove  me. 

It  is  sometimes  well  for  us,  in  our  general  devo- 
tions, to  bring  our  own  individual  cases  specially 
before  the  Lord.  David  does  this  here.  The  heart 
knoweth  its  own  bitterness  as  it  can  know  the  bitter- 
ness of  none  beside.  Who  has  not  felt  if?  who  has 
not  had  sorrows  that  made  him  wish  to  leave  the 
crowd,  to  go  away  and  be  alone  while  breathing 
them  in  the  ear  of  God'?  Alas,  how  little  does  he 
know  of  true  Christian  experience,  whose  sense  of 
weakness  and  unworthiness  is  not  at  times  so  great 
as  to  cause  him  to  forget  all  others,  and  to  think 
only  of  his  own  need  of  help,  and  to  cry  out,  "Lord, 
have  mercy  upon  me!  Lord,  save  me,  I  perish!" 

Verse  12.     There  are  the  workers  of  iniquity  fallen;  they  are 
cast  down,  and  shall  not  be  able  to  rise ! 
Behold  the  power   of  faith!     It  enables  the  be- 


448  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

liever  to  speak  of  things  future  as  if  they  were 
ah-eacly  past.  David  had  been  praying  his  God, 
"Bring  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  to  an  end;  but 
establish  thou  the  just,"  and  here,  in  this  last  verse, 
he  speaks  of  the  workers  of  iniquity  as  already  fallen, 
cast  do^vn,  and  unable  to  rise.  There!  they  are 
fallen!  and  there,  too,  in  that  very  place  and  assault 
where  they  thought  to  have  triumphed!  It  was  also 
in  the  past  tense  that  our  Lord  spoke  of  the  down- 
fall of  Satan,  saying,  "I  beheld  Satan  as  lightning 
f(tll  from  heaven,"  (Luke  x.  18,)  though  Satan's  com- 
plete overthrow  was  then,  and  is  now,  prospective. 
It  is,  however,  the  privilege  of  every  believer,  having 
asked  anything  agreeable  to  the  will  and  purposes  of 
God,  to  think  and  speak  of  his  prayer  as  granted. 
This,  says  St.  John,  "  is  the  confidence  we  have  in 
him,  that  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  his  will, 
he  heareth  us."  1  John  v.  14.  Let  us  all  strive  for 
the  attainment  of  this  faith,  the  faith  that  sees  its 
victory  over  all  spiritual  foes  to  be  so  certain,  that  it 
can  think  and  speak  of  it  as  a  victory  already  won; 
the  faith  that  utters  itself  in  the  words,  "  the  Lord 
is  my  light,  and  my  salvation;  whom  shall  I  fear] 
The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life;  of  whom  shall 
I  be  afraidr' 


PSALM  XXXVII.  .  449 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXXVII. 

As  the  Mosaic  dispensation  abounded  in  promises  of 
great  temporal  prosperity  to  the  righteous,  the  so 
often  seeing  the  wicked  prosperous,  while  the  right- 
eous were  afflicted,  was  a  sore  trial  to  the  faith  of 
many  an  ancient  believer.  It  appeared  to  them  an 
inconsistency  between  the  word  and  the  providence 
of  God.  To  the  solution  of  this  difficulty  David 
addresses  himself  in  the  psalm  before  us,  assuring  us 
that  what  God  has  promised  the  righteous  can  never 
fail  them ;  that  he  will,  in  his  own  good  time,  and  at 
a  time  the  best  for  them,  crowai  them  with  every 
blessing  he  has  promised  them,  and  bring  the  wicked 
with  all  their  schemes  and  successes  to  nought.  He 
therefore  counsels  the  righteous  to  wait  patiently  for 
the  issue  God  is  sure  to  bring  about. 

Verses  1,  2.  Fret  not  thyself  because  of  evil-doers,  neither  be 
thou  envious  against  the  workers  of  iniquity.  For  they  shall 
soon  be  cut  down  as  the  grass,  and  wither  as  the  green  herb. 

Why  then  allow  the  successes  of  the  ungodly  to 
irritate  you,  as  if  God  had  been  unkind  to  you  in 
being  kind  to  them'?  or,  why  envy  them  for  what 
you  have  nof?  There  is  nothing  durable  in  their 
prosperity — neither  they  nor  their  treasures  of  wick- 
edness can  last.  As  the  scythe  in  the  hand  of  the 
mower  upon  the  grass  and  green  herb,  such  is  the  hand 
of  God  upon  the  workers  of  iniquity.  The  right- 
eous man  having  God  for  his  portion,  what  reason 
has  he  to  envy  the  wicked  man  his  prosperity?  The 
thought  of  these  first  two  verses,  the  thought  of  how 
unreasonable  it  is  for  a  righteous  man  to  envy  the 
38* 


450  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

wicked  their  short  lived  prosperity,  is  a  thought 
which  David  has  woven  into  every  other  verse  of  the 
whole  psalm.  It  has  accordingly  been  said  of  this 
psalm,  "that  one  and  the  same  subject  is  handled 
in  it  under  the  most  diversified  applications  and 
manifold  variations,  which  all  lead  nearly  to  one 
point,  although  every  one  of  them  possesses  its  own 
proper  force;  so  that  they  are  not  otherwise  con- 
nected together  than  as  so  many  precious  stones  or 
pearls  are  strung  together  upon  one  thread  to  form  a 
necklace."  That  one  thread,  connecting  all  the  parts 
of  this  psalm  together,  each  with  every  other,  is  the 
thought  just  mentioned — the  unreasonableness  of  the 
good  man's  envying  the  ungodly  their  prosperity. 
We,  therefore,  find  this  thought  in  the  next  verse, 
and  in  every  succeeding  verse  to  the  end  of  the 
psalm. 

Verse  3.     Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good;  so  stalt  thou  dwell 
in  the  hind,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed. 

Let  not  your  own  sufierings  and  the  prosperity  of 
the  wicked  shake  your  confidence  in  God  as  the 
righteous  Governor  of  his  creatures,  nor  turn  you 
aside  from  doing  good:  still  press  on  doing  what  is 
known  to  be  right;  "so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land, 
and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed."  If  you  do  not  become 
rich,  and  great,  and  powerful,  as  the  wicked  do,  by 
wicked  ways  and  means,  you  shall  at  least  have  a 
liomc  and  bread,  and  with  them  a  clear  conscience 
and  the  favour  of  God.  And  what  earthly  good  can 
be  reasonably  compared  with  these '? 

Verse  4.     Delight  thyself  also  in  the  Lord;  and  he  shall  give 
thee  the  desires  of  thine  heart. 

It  is  not  delighting  in  earthly  things  that  will 
give  you  the  desires  of  your  heart:    the   best   of 


PSALM   XXXVII.  451 

earthly  things  cannot  bring  peace  to  the  troubled 
breast,  nor  fill  the  void  within.  I  show  you  a  more 
excellent  way  of  attaining  the  bliss  you  desire : 
"  Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord."  Seek  your  happiness 
in  loving  and  serving  him,  and  living  according  to 
his  laws,  and  you  will  not  miss  your  aim.  He  will 
satisfy  every  longing,  the  satisfying  of  which  would 
not  work  your  injury. 

Verses  5,  6.  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord;  trust  also  in  him; 
and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass.  And  he  shall  bring  forth  thy 
righteousness  as  the  light,  and  thy  judgment  as  the  noon- 
day. 

If  others  have  wronged  you,  oppose  not  wrong  to 
wrong;  but  commit  your  cause  to  God.  He  will 
bring  it  to  pass  that  your  wrong  shall  be  righted. 
He  will  exhibit  both  your  cause  and  your  character 
in  their  true  light  to  the  world,  to  your  justification, 
and  your  enemies'  condemnation.  God  will  allow 
no  o-ood  man's  character  to  remain  for  ever  under  an 
eclipse.  True,  "  the  promise  here  delivered  will  find 
its  complete  fulfilment  in  the  day  when  the  saints  of 
God  shall  shine  as  the  sun,  and  as  the  stars  for  ever 
and  ever.  But  vain  would  be  the  hope  of  that,  if  it 
were  not  realized  also  in  the  present  state;  what  has 
no  place  on  this  side,  can  have  none  on  that.  There 
nothing  will  begin,  everything  is  only  perfected." 
But  here  or  there,  the  good  man's  character  will  cer- 
tainly be  vindicated. 

Verse  7.  Rest  in  the  Lord,  and  wait  patiently  for  him;  fret  not 
thyself  because  of  him  who  prospereth  in  his  way,  because  of 
the  man  who  bringeth  wicked  devices  to  pass. 

Having  committed  your  cause  to  God,  rest  in  him, 
wait  for  him  till  he  accomplish  the  desire  of  your 
heart:  let  no  success  of  your  enemy  over  you  tempt 


452  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

you  to  think  hard  of  God,  or  to  take  the  work  of 
retributive  justice  out  of  his  hands.  Cheerfully 
leave  yourself  and  all  your  interests  in  the  hands 
where  you  have  placed  them,  not  allowing  yourself 
to  be  tempted  for  a  moment  to  take  them  into  your 
own  again. 

Verses  8,  9.  Cease  from  anger,  and  forsake  wratli:  fret  not  thy- 
self in  any  wise  to  do  evil.  For  evil-doers  shall  be  cut  off: 
but  those  that  wait  upon  the  Lord,  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

You  cannot  indulge  anger  and  wrath  without 
becoming  yourself  an  evil-doer.  You  must,  there- 
fore, repress  their  first  and  feeblest  risings  in  your 
soul,  or  you  will  precipitate  yourself  among  those 
whose  doom  is  to  be  cut  off,  to  be  destroyed.  You 
cannot,  while  any  resentful  or  vindictive  passion  is 
glowing  in  your  bosom,  wait  on  the  Lord  in  a  way 
to  please  him ;  and  none  but  those  who  do  so  wait 
upon  the  Lord,  shall  inherit  the  earth,  shall  dwell  in 
the  good  land  he  hath  provided  for  his  people. 

Verses  10,  11.  For  yet  a  little  while  and  the  wicked  shall  not 
be;  yea,  thou  shalt  diligently  consider  his  place,  and  it  shall 
not  be.  But  the  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth,  and  shall  de- 
light themselves  in  the  abundance  of  peace. 

What  a  waste  of  feeling,  to  spend  anger  and  wrath 
upon  one  who,  after  a  little,  will  not  be;  and  whose 
very  place  will  not  be;  himself  and  every  memorial 
of  him  having  disappeared  from  the  earth.  O  when 
the  wicked  destroys  himself  by  the  wickedness  in 
which  he  indulges  against  us,  why  should  we  not 
rather  pity  him^  Let  us  pity  him,  and  we  at  once 
become  the  meek,  the  patient,  and  forgiving,  who 
shall  inherit  the  earth,  and  delight  themselves  in  the 
abundance  of  the  peace  with  which  the  Lord  will 
bless  their  lives. 


PSALM  XXXVII.  453 

Verses  12, 13.  Tlie  wicked  plotteth  against  the  just,  and  gnash- 
etli  upon  him  with  his  teeth.  The  Lord  shall  laugh  at  him; 
for  he  seeth  that  his  day  is  coming. 

The  just  man  has  no  occasion  to  undertake  the 
punishment  of  one  who  plots  against  him,  and,  with 
brute  malignity,  gnashes  upon  him  with  his  teeth. 
The  Lord  laughs  at  him,  derides  his  utmost  ire  as 
impotent  to  injure  one  whom  he  has  taken  under  his 
protection.  He  laugheth  at  him,  for  he  seeth  that 
his  day  is  coming — the  day  of  his  calamity — the  day 
when  his  rage  against  the  righteous  will  be  repressed 
for  ever,  and  he  be  reserved  in  everlasting  chains 
under  darkness  unto  the  judgment  of  the  great  day. 

Verses  14, 15.  The  wicked  have  drawn  out  the  sword,  and  have 
bent  their  bow,  to  cast  down  the  poor  and  needy,  and  to  slay 
such. as  be  of  upright  conversation.  Their  sword  shall  enter 
into  their  own  heart,  and  their  bows  shall  be  broken. 

So  it  is.  No  weapon  that  is  drawn  against  the 
good  man  shall  prosper.  The  sword  that  the  wicked 
draw  against  him  shall  enter  their  own  hearts ;  and 
the  bow,  wherewith  they  would  pierce  him  with 
their  arrows,  shall  be  broken  in  their  hands.  They 
can  make  suicides  of  themselves,  but  nothing  more. 
"Why  then  should  the  righteous  raise  his  hand  to 
destroy  his  enemies  when  every  blow  they  aim  at 
him  recoils  upon  themselves'?  Indeed,  if  they  were 
to  take  away  the  good  man's  life,  why  should  he  not 
even  then  pity  them,  knowing  that  the  blow  that 
destroys  his  body  murders  their  own  souls'? 

Verses  16, 17.  A  little  that  a  righteous  man  hath  is  better  than 
the  riches  of  many  wicked.  For  the  arms  of  the  wicked  shall 
be  broken :  but  the  Lord  upholdeth  the  righteous. 

A  clear  conscience,  the  blessing  of  God,  and  a 
contented  mind,  make  the  "little  that  a  righteous 


454  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

man  hath  better  than  the  riches  of  many  wicked." 
There  is  connected  with  the  history  of  his  little^  no 
remorseful  recollection,  no  anxious  thought  how  to 
increase  it,  nor  anxious  fear  lest  he  should  lose  it. 
"  The  Lord  upholdeth  the  righteous."  His  wants  will 
be  supplied  as  they  arise.  It  is  not  so  with  the  riches 
of  the  wicked;  connected  with  their  history  there 
is  many  a  remorseful  recollection,  many  an  anxious 
care,  many  a  secret  misgiving,  and  many  a  foreboding 
fear  lest  they  lose  what  they  have,  and  have,  besides, 
their  "arms  broken" — that  is,  be  deprived  of  all 
power  to  acquire  more.  Their  abundance  brings  no 
content  with  it — only  cares  and  fears. 

Verses  18, 19.  The  Lord  knoweth  the  days  of  the  upright;  and 
their  inheritance  shall  he  for  ever.  They  shall  not  he 
ashamed  in  the  evil  time;  and  in  the  days  of  famine  they 
shall  be  satisfied. 

The  upright  remain  secure  in  their  inheritance; 
are  not  "ashamed  in  the  evil  time;"  and  in  the  days 
of  famine  still  have  bread,  because  the  Lord  knoweth 
their  days — their  whole  life  is  before  him  as  an  ob- 
ject of  loving  care;  every  day  with  its  wants,  to  be 
by  him  supplied;  every  day  with  its  dangers,  to  be 
by  him  averted.  This  is  the  general  lot  of  the  up- 
right, even  in  this  life;  it  will  be  their  universal  lot 
in  the  life  to  come,  when  they  enter  upon  the  in- 
heritance that  is  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away.  Why,  then,  should  they  envy  the 
wicked  who  may  seem  to  be  more  prospered  in  this 
life  than  they  are? 

Verse  20.  But  the  wicked  shall  perish,  and  the  enemies  of  the 
Lord  he  as  the  fat  of  lambs:  they  shall  consume;  into  smoke 
shall  they  consume  away. 

As  the  fat  of  lambs,  laid  on  the  altar  of  sacrifice, 


PSALM  XXXVII.  455 

was  quickly  consumed,  and  vanished  away  in  smoke, 
so  shall  the  wicked  and  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  be 
consumed ;  not  a  vestige  of  them  being  left  behind. 
Why  envy  such  their  short-lived  prosperity,  or  think 
that  it  militates  against  the  Divine  righteousness'? 
Their  prosperity  is  but  for  a  moment,  and  then — no- 
thing remains  to  them.  The  afflictions  of  the  right- 
eous are  but  for  a  moment,  and  then — everything  is 
theirs ! 

Verses  21,  22.  The  wicked  borrowetli,  and  payeth  not  again: 
but  the  righteous  showeth  mercy  and  giveth.  For  such  as 
be  blessed  of  him  shall  inherit  the  earth;  and  they  that  be 
cursed  of  him  shall  be  cut  off. 

Such  as  "be  cursed  of  him."  It  is  the  Divine 
curse  upon  the  wicked  that  obliges  him  to  boiTow, 
and  so  impoverishes  him  that  he  is  not  able  to  pay 
again.  "  Such  as  be  blessed  of  him."  It  is  the  Di- 
vine blessing  upon  the  righteous  that  so  enriches  him 
that  he  is  able  to  show  mercy  and  to  give.  God's 
general  providence  towards  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked,  is  that  here  described.  He  generally  maketh 
a  difference  between  them  in  their  external  condi- 
tion corresponding  with  their  internal  character. 

Verses  23,  24.  The  steps  of  a  good  man  are  ordered  by  the 
Lord;  and  he  delighteth  in  his  way.  Though  he  fall,  he 
shall  not  be  utterly  cast  down :  for  the  Lord  upholdeth  him 
with  his  hand. 

This  is  the  good  man's  comfort;  his  steps,  the 
whole  course  of  his  life,  are  ordered  by  the  Lord; 
and  when  his  doings  please  the  Lord,  he  delighteth  in 
his  way,  and  enables  him  to  accomplish  his  desires. 
If  he  fail  in  some  of  his  undertakings,  he  shall  not  be 
utterly  cast  down;  he  shall  rise  again,  for  the  Lord 
upholdeth  him  with  his  hand.  However  much  the 
good  man  may  suffer,  the  Lord  will  not  allow  him  to 


456  LECTUBES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

perish.  In  this  respect  his  lot  is  in  complete  con- 
trast with  that  of  the  wicked.  When  they  fall, 
there  is  no  Divine  hand  to  lift  them  up  and  set  them 
on  their  feet  again.  Luther's  comment  on  the  second 
of  these  two  verses  is  excellent.  "  Thus,"  says  he, 
"the  Spirit  comforts  and  answers  the  secret  thoughts 
which  every  one  might  have,  saying  with  himself, 
'I  have,  however,  seen  it  happen  that  the  righteous 
is  oppressed,  and  his  cause  trodden  in  the  dust  by 
the  wicked.'  '  Nay,'  the  Spirit  replies,  '  dear  child, 
let  it  be  so,  that  he  falls;  he  still  cannot  remain  lying 
thus,  and  be  a  cast-away;  he  must  be  up  again, 
although  all  the  world  doubts  of  it.  For  God  catches 
him  by  the  hand,  and  raises  him  again.'" 

Verses  25,  26.  I  have  been  young,  and  now  am  old;  yet  have 
X  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging 
bread.  He  is  ever  merciful,  and  lendeth;  and  his  seed  is 
blessed. 

This  second  verse  gives  us  the  character  of  the 
righteous  man  whom  David  had  never  seen  forsaken, 
nor  his  seed  begging  bread.  "  He  is  ever  merciful,  and 
lendeth:"  his  life  is  one  of  uniform  kindness  and 
charity  to  the  poor  and  needy.  Many  think  that 
they  will  impoverish  themselves  and  children  by 
being  always  thus  liberal.  No,  it  is  the  surest  way 
to  prevent  you  and  your  children  from  coming  to 
want.  Those  whom  you  befriend  in  their  straits, 
will  befriend  you  in  yours,  and  the  kindness  of  the 
father  they  will  remember  also  to  his  children.  And 
besides  all  this,  God  will  move  upon  other  hearts  to 
minister  to  you  and  yours,  in  your  necessities.  He 
will  also  secretly  increase  your  substance.  It  cannot 
be  doubted,  that  God  provides  for  the  righteous  man, 
and  the  righteous  man's  seed,  following  in  his  foot- 


PSALM  xxxvir.  457 

steps,   as  he  provides  for  none  beside.     There  are 

indeed  exceptions   to  the  rule,  but  not  enough  to 

prevent  our  regarding  it  as  a  general  feature  of  the 

Divine  Providence.     It  is  conceded,  however,  that 

temporal  prosperity  followed   obedience   under  the 

Old  Testament  dispensation,  more  unvaryingly  than 

it  follows  it  under  that  of  the  New;  and  for  this 

reason,  perhaps,  the  ancient  believer  had  not  the 

same  clear  views  of  the  glories  of  the  life  to  come, 

that  we  have,  to  encourage  his  faith,  and  therefore 

needed,  more  than  we  do,  the  stimulus  of  temporal 

and  visible  mercies,  to  keep  him  still  walking  on  in 

the  ways  of  the  Lord. 

Verses  27-29.  Depart  from  evil,  and  do  good;  and  dwell  for 
evermore.  For  the  Lord  loveth  judgment,  and  forsaketli  not 
his  saints;  they  are  preserved  for  ever:  but  the  seed  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  cut  oif.  The  righteous  shall  inherit  the  land, 
and  dwell  therein  for  ever. 

As  the  well-doing  of  the  righteous  preserves  both 
him  and  his  seed,  and  secures  them,  as  a  general 
thing,  a  permanent  inheritance  of  peace,  so  the  evil- 
doing  of  the  wicked  destroys  him  and  his  seed:  "his 
seed  shall  be  cut  off."  As  God  can  never  fail  finally 
to  bless  those  who  serve  him,  so  he  can  never  fail 
finally  to  pmiish  those  who  serve  him  not.  "  This  is 
deeply  grounded  in  the  Divine  righteousness,  im- 
printed thence  upon  the  hearts  of  men,  and  as  with 
terrible  grifiins  guarded,  that  no  wickedness  can 
remain  unpunished,  and  that  the  ungodly  shall  infal- 
libly come  to  a  miserable  end.  If  such  perdition 
does  not  always  meet  the  bodily  eye  or  sense,  still 
everything  is  only  contributing  to  their  deeper  ruin. 
For  the  destruction  of  their  poor  souls  is  certainly 
much  more  dreadful  before  God." 
39 


458  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Verses  30,  31.  The  moutli  of  the  righteous  speaketh  wisdom, 
and  his  tongue  talketh  of  judgment.  The  law  of  his  God  is 
in  his  heart;  none  of  his  steps  shall  slide. 

David  here  distinguishes  the  righteous  from  the 
wicked  by  a  new  test — by  his  words — words  of  wis- 
dom and  sound  judgment  perpetually  flowing  from 
his  mouth  and  tongue ;  all,  however,  coming  from  a 
heart  in  which  is  the  law  of  his  God.  It  is  out  of 
the  abundance  of  his  heart  that  his  mouth  speaketh. 
His  words  savour  of  the  divine  and  heavenly.  How 
unlike  the  words  of  the  wicked!  Moreover,  actuated 
by  the  law  of  God  in  his  heart,  he  not  only  speaks, 
but  also  acts  aright:  "none  of  his  steps  slide;"  he 
walks  steadily  on  in  all  the  ways  of  holiness  and 
pureness  of  living.  He  is  not  satisfied  with  having 
the  law  of  his  God  in  his  heart  and  upon  his  tongue, 
unless  he  also  embodies  it  in  his  hfe. 

Verses  32,  83.  The  wicked  watcheth  the  righteous,  and  seeketh 
to  slay  him.  The  Lord  will  not  leave  him  in  his  hand,  nor 
condemn  him  when  he  is  judged. 

How  many  has  man  condemned  to  the  flames  of 
the  stake,  and  to  the  flames  of  hell,  whom  God  did 
not  condemn  at  all.  He  justified  them;  and  though 
he  left  their  bodies  for  a  time  in  the  hands  of  their 
enemies,  he  received  their  souls  unto  himself.  This 
is  the  consolation  of  the  good,  that  God  never  joins 
the  world  in  their  condemnation  of  his  people;  and 
if  we  escape  his  condemnation,  what  need  we  care 
who  else  condemns'?  If  unjustly  condemned  by  others, 
we  can  afi"ord  to  wait  patiently  till  he  sees  fit  to  vin- 
dicate us. 

Verse  34.  Wait  on  the  Lord,  and  keep  his  way,  and  he  shall 
exalt  thee  to  inherit  the  land :  when  the  wicked  are  cut  off, 
thou  shalt  see  it. 

Still  wait  upon  God,  as  an  obedient  servant  and 


PSALM  XXXVII.  459 

loving  child;  "and  keep  his  way:"  walk  only  by  the 
rules  that  he  has»  prescribed  you,  and  he  will  exalt 
you  "to  inherit  the  land;"  he  will  crown  you  with 
the  blessings  of  his  covenant  of  salvation.  "  When 
the  wicked  are  cut  off,  you  shall  see  it;"  you  shall 
see  all  those  enemies,  whether  visible  or  invisible, 
who  would  have  accomplished  your  ruin,  utterly  and 
for  ever  overthrown. 

Verses  35,  36.  I  have  seen  the  wicked  in  great  power,  and 
spreading  himself  like  a  green  bay-tree :  yet  he  passed  away, 
and,  lo,  he  was  not;  yea,  I  sought  him,  but  he  could  not  be 
found. 

It  matters  not  how  deeply  the  roots  of  the  wicked 
man's  tree  of  prosperity  have  buried  themselves  in 
the  earth,  nor  how  far  it  has  spread  its  branches 
abroad,  it  is  the  work  of  but  a  moment  for  Divine 
Providence  to  pluck  it  up,  root  and  branch,  so  that 
not  a  vestige  of  it,  though  sought  after,  can  be  found 
in  the  place  where  it  once  stood.  This  image  of 
sudden  and  complete  destruction,  can  be  applied 
to  nations  as  well  as  to  individuals.  How  many 
a  nation  that  once  persecuted  the  people  of  God, 
has  now  no  existence  but  in  history]  It  is  under 
this  same  image  of  a  vigorously  growing  tree,  tower- 
ing to  the  heavens,  and  stretching  out  its  branches 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth,  that  Daniel  represents 
the  persecuting  Babylonish  monarchy,  and  that  tree 
at  last  passed  away  in  a  single  night!  Dan.  v.  30,  31. 

Verses  37,  38.  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright; 
for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace.  But  the  transgressors  shall 
be  destroyed  together:  the  end  of  the  wicked  shall  be 
cut  off. 

If  nothing  else  can  reconcile  the  suffering  believer 

to  his  trials,  and  the  unmerited  prosperity  of  the 

wicked,  surely  the  contrast  between  the  last  moments 


4G0  LECTUBES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

of  the  upright  and  the  wicked  should  do  it.  The 
end  of  one  is  peace;  the  end  of  tte  other,  total  and 
everlasting  destruction.  Who  would  regret  any 
amount  of  suffering  endured,  to  die  as  the  good  man 
dies,  full  of  hope,  peace,  and  joy,  springing  from  the 
sweet  assurance  that  he  is  going  direct  to  the  bosom 
of  his  God"?  Or  who  would  regard  any  amount  of 
prosperity  enjoyed,  as  a  compensation  for  dying  as 
the  bad  man  dies,  launching  away,  hopeless,  helpless, 
and  alone,  into  outer  and  eternal  darkness] 

Verses  39,  40.  But  the  salvation  of  the  righteous  is  of  the  Lord; 
he  is  their  strength  in  time  of  trouble.  And  the  Lord  shall 
help  them  and  deliver  them :  he  shall  deliver  them  from  the 
wicked,  and  save  them,  because  they  trust  in  him. 

The  sentiment  of  these  verses  is  like  to  that  with 

which  the  twenty-seventh  psalm  opens,  "  The  Lord  is 

my  light  and  my  salvation ;  whom  shall  I  fear "?  the 

Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life;  of  whom  shall  I  be 

afraid  T'     The  Lord  being  the  light,  the  strength, 

and  the  salvation  of  all  who  trust  in  him,  David,  in 

this  psalm,  counsels  such  not  to  quarrel  with  any 

dispensation  of  his  that  may  seem  dark  to  them;  not 

to  be  angry  against  the  wicked  either,  on  account  of 

their  unmerited  prosperity,  or  of  the  wrongs  they 

may  have  inflicted  upon  them.     He  teaches  us  that 

innocence,  quietness,  and  trust  in  the  Lord,  are  the 

surest  path  to  victory.     He  gives  this  as,  no  doubt, 

the   conviction  of  his   own   personal   experience — 

"Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good,  and  he  shall  give 

thee  the  desires  of  thy  heart:"  seek  to  obtain  them 

in  no  other  way,  is  the  import  of  all  that  he  says. 

Let  us  all  endeavour  to  realize  the  lesson  in  our 

lives,  looking  to  One  greater  than  David,  even  the 

Son  of  David,  to  gird  us  with  strength  for  the  battle, 

and  to  crown  us  with  victory ! 


PSALM   XXXVIII.  461 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XXXVIIL 

This  psalm  was  composed  by  David  vv^hile  suffering 
some  severe  affliction  both  of  mind  and  body.  What 
his  bodily  affliction  was,  or  what  his  peculiar  mental 
affliction,  each  seeming  to  aggravate  the  severity  of 
the  other,  it  is  difficult  to  tell.  He  acknowledges, 
however,  that  all  his  sufferings  are  but  the  due 
reward  of  his  sins;  and  to  be  traced  directly  to 
them.  Still  he  prays  most  earnestly  for  the  removal 
of  the  penalty  so  justly  their  due.  The  cause  of  his 
sufferings,  sin,  being  removed  by  the  Divine  forgive- 
ness, he  hopes  that  his  sufferings  also  will  be  re- 
moved. This  idea,  that  all  suffering  is  punishment 
direct  from  the  hand  of  God  for  our  sins,  is  an  idea 
that  readily  suggests  itself  to  our  minds,  when  afflic- 
tions come  upon  us.  We  then  begin  to  realize  the 
truth  of  the  saying,  that  God  distributeth  sorrows  in 
his  anger.  Job  xxi.  17.  The  title  of  this  psalm 
reads,  "A  Psalm  of  David,  to  bring  to  remembrance:" 
that  is,  a  psalm  composed  by  David,  either  to  bring 
to  his  own  remembrance,  for  future  use  and  improve- 
ment, his  mental  experiences  and  exercises  when  he 
was  suffering  so  severely  under  the  hand  of  God;  or, 
as  God  seemed  to  have  forgotten  him,  in  so  far  at 
least  as  any  manifestation  of  his  mercy  toward  him 
was  a  remembrance  of  him — a  psalm  composed  by 
David  to  remind  God  of  the  intensity  of  his  suffer- 
ings, the  cruelty  of  his  enemies,  the  patience  with 
which  he  endured  the  whole,  and  the  steadfastness  of 
faith  with  which  he  still  looked  to  him  for  help:  in 
the  midst  of  all,  still  trusting  in  him,  and  doing  good. 
39* 


462  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

This  second  meaning  of  the  words,  to  bring  to  remem- 

hrance,  is  probably  their  true  meaning.     It  is  the 

meaning  sustained  and  required  by  the  phraseology 

of  the  whole  psalm.     It  is  from  the  beginning  to  the 

end  a  vehement  and  reiterated  calling  upon  God  to 

notice,  regard,  and  relieve,  the  great  sufferings  of  the 

petitioner;  to  give  his  mind  an  efficient  attention  to 

them  at  once. 

Verse  1.     0  Lord,  rebuke  me  not  in  tliy  WTatli;  neither  chasten 
me  in  thy  hot  displeasure. 

Some  think  that  David  here  prays  only  for  an 

abatement  of  his   sufferings.      That,  however,  can 

hardly  be.     He  was  no  doubt  willing  to  suffer  more 

and  longer,  if  such  were  the  will  of  God:  but  what 

he  here  desires   is  evidently  entire  deliverance,  a 

deliverance  as  complete  as  the  pardon  of  the  sins 

that  brought  his  sufferings  upon  him.     Regarding 

sin  as  the  sole  producing  cause  of  his  sorrows,  he 

could  not  regard  himself  fully  pardoned,  till  he  was 

fully  delivered.    It  was  thus  that  the  Saviour  prayed 

under  the  mighty  sorrows  overwhelming  him,  not  for 

an  abatement,  but  for  an  entire  removal  of  them, 

saying,  "Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass 

from   me."    Matt.  xxvi.  39.      He,   however,  as  no 

doubt  David  did,  prayed  with  entire  submission  to 

the  will  of  God  in  the  matter. 

Verse  2.     For  thine   arrows  stick  fast  in  me,  and  thy  hand 
presseth  me  sore. 

God's  arrows,  and  his  sorely  pressing  hand,  mean 
the  same  thing  here:  they  are  sharp,  piercing,  and 
oppressive  afflictions.  When  God  visits  us  with 
these  for  our  sins,  he  rebukes  us  in  anger,  and 
chastens  us  in  hot  displeasure.  It  was  of  such  afflic- 
tions that  Job  speaks,  where  he  says,  "  The  arrows  of 


PSALM  XXXVIII.  463 

the  Almighty  are  within  me,  the  poison  whereof 
drinketh  up  my  spirit:  the  terrors  of  God  do  set 
themselves  in  array  against  me."  Job  vi.  4.  It  was 
not  of  his  merely  bodily  sickness  that  Job  here 
speaks,  but  also  of  his  grief  at  the  loss  of  his  chil- 
dren and  property,  the  alienation  of  friends,  and  the 
hidings  of  the  Divine  presence.  These  were  the 
arrows  of  the  Almighty,  these  the  terrors  of  God. 

Verses  3,  4.  There  is  no  soundness  in  my  flesh  because  of  thine 
anger;  neither  is  there  rest  in  my  bones  because  of  my  sin. 
For  mine  iniquities  are  gone  over  my  head :  as  a  heavy  bur- 
den they  are  too  heavy  for  me. 

David  never  for  a  moment  disconnects  the  anger 
of  God  from  his  sins,  as  its  provoking  cause.  If  his 
whole  body  wither  under  the  inflictions  of  that 
wrath,  it  is  because  of  his  sin.  It  is  even  so,  and 
always  so.  The  soul  cannot  sin  without  involving 
the  body  in  the  payment  of  the  penalty:  nor  can  the 
body  sin  without  involving  the  soul.  Each  is  made 
to  feel  the  anger  of  God  excited  by  the  other's  sin. 
David's  iniquities,  or  rather,  the  punishments  visited 
upon  him  for  his  iniquities,  went  over  his  head  like 
rolling  billows;  and  were,  also,  a  burthen  that  he  was 
unable  to  bear.  Alas,  how  soon  all  human  strength, 
both  of  mind  and  of  body,  sinks,  crushed  and  over- 
whelmed, when  God  rebukes  us  in  wrath,  and  chas- 
tens us  in  hot  displeasure. 

Verse  5.  My  wounds  stink,  and  are  corrupt  because  of  my  fool- 
ishness. 

Or,  as  an  eminent  critic  has  translated  this  verse, 
"They  are  corrupt,  my  sores  fester  because  of  my 
folly."  David's  suff'erings  for  his  sins  had  not  only 
weakened  and  prostrated  the  strength  of  his  body, 
but  here,  in  this  verse,  the  body  is  represented  as 


464  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

actually  perishing  by  the  decomposition  of  its  vital 
parts,  corrupting  and  festering  into  running  sores. 
And  if  sin  thus  disease  the  body,  how  much  more 
must  it  disease  the  soul !  It  would  seem,  indeed,  that 
the  desolating  effects  of  sin  upon  the  body  are  so 
graphically  described  in  this  psalm,  only  to  suggest 
to  our  minds  its  necessarily  still  more  desolating 
effects  upon  the  soul. 

Verses  6,  7.  I  am  troubled;  I  am  bowed  down  greatly;  I  go 
mourning  all  the  day  long.  For  my  loins  are  filled  with  a 
loathsome  disease;  and  there  is  no  soundness  in  my  flesh. 

David  is  still  describing  the  effects  of  sin  upon  his 
body.  A  loathsome  disease  has  invaded  his  loins; 
that  portion  of  the  spinal  column  where  the  greatest 
strength  in  man  centres  and  resides.  To  weaken 
that  part  of  the  body,  is  to  weaken  the  whole.  An 
injury  inflicted  there  not  only  bows  the  head  and 
causes  the  hands  to  hang  down,  but  also  the  knees 
to  tremble  under  us.  How  both  forcibly  and  fear- 
fully does  this  fact,  or  illustration,  teach  us  the 
power  of  sin  to  invade,  disease,  and  destroy  the 
strongest  parts  of  the  human  soul!  It  subdues  the 
iron  will  to  its  wishes,  and  then  the  whole  soul  is 
indeed  troubled,  crazed,  and  bowed  down  greatly, 
and  may  well  go  mourning  all  the  day  long! 

Verse  8.  I  am  feeble  and  sore  broken:  I  have  roared  by  reason 
of  the  disquietness  of  my  heart. 

It  was  not  so  much  his  external  and  bodily  suffer- 
ings that  caused  David  to  utter  such  loud  and  bitter 
lamentations,  as  the  disquietness  of  his  heart.  His 
mental  and  spiritual  suffering  was  greater  than  any 
pain,  however  great  it  might  be,  that  he  felt  in  body. 
It  was  his  sense  of  sin  that  made  his  burden  too 
heavy  for  him.    But  for  that,  it  could  have  been  easily 


PSALM   XXXVIII.  465 

borne.  With  a  clear  conscience,  and  God  on  our 
side,  how  comparatively  light  are  the  heaviest  afflic- 
tions of  earth ;  but  with  an  accusing  conscience  and 
God  against  us,  how  soon  do  even  light  afflictions 
overcome  us,  and  we  "roar  by  reason  of  the  disquiet- 
ness  of  our  hearts.  The  spirit  of  a  man  will  sustain 
his  infirmity;  but  a  wounded  sjnrit,  who  can  bear"? 
Prov.  xviii.  14.  It  is  a  wounded  spirit,  wounded  by 
a  vivid  sense  of  sin  unforgiven,  that  makes  the  soul 
exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death.  How  many, 
that  they  might  not  endure  a  wounded  spirit,  an 
accusing  conscience,  have  fled  to  the  flames  of  the 
stake  as  a  grateful  alternative  and  pleasant  refuge ! 

Verse  9.     Lord,  all  my  desire  is  before  thee:  and  my  groaning 
is  not  hid  from  thee. 

David  here  appeals  to  his  omniscient  God  to  bear 
witness  that  he  has  neither  exaggerated  his  desires 
nor  his  miseries;  that  his  desires  were  as  intense  as 
his  language  would  indicate  them  to  be,  and  his 
miseries  as  great.  It  has  been  well  remarked  on  this 
verse,  that  it  suggests  a  caution  to  all  those  who  seek 
God  in  prayer,  not  to  express  with  their  lips  what 
they  do  not  feel  in  their  hearts,  nor  to  seek  to  move 
God  by  strong  language  rather  than  by  strong  de- 
sires, and  a  heart-felt  sense  of  need.  It  is  not  the 
strength  of  our  language,  but  the  strength  of  our 
desires  that  brings  God  to  our  help. 

Verse  10.     My  heart  panteth,  my  strength  faileth  me :  as  for  the 
sight  of  mine  eyes,  it  also  is  gone  from  me. 

These  words  describe  one  whose  sufferings  are  so 

great  that  he  is  at  the  point  to  die.     The  palpitating 

heart,  the  fast-failing  strength,  and  the  dimmed  sight, 

all  betoken  that  the  sufferer's  last  moment  is  at  hand. 

To  this  extreme  of  prostration  had  David's   grief 


466  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

brought  him.  He  felt  as  if  he  could  not  survive 
them — indeed,  that  he  was  literally  expiring !  There 
is  no  grief  that  so  prostrates  the  whole  man  as  spirit- 
ual grief;  it  cuts  the  sinews  of  both  soul  and  body. 
Our  Lord  hungered,  and  thirsted,  and  grew  weary, 
but  we  nowhere  read  that  he  was  afflicted  with  any 
bodily  sickness;  and  yet  what  ravages  spiritual  grief 
made  upon  his  physical  nature!  It  brought  him 
prone  to  the  ground,  and  caused  him  to  sweat  blood. 
He  was  but  thirty-three  years  old  when  he  died,  and 
had  spent  only  three  of  those  thirty-three  in  public 
contact  with  the  world ;  and  yet  we  read  of  him  that 
"  his  visage  was  marred  more  than  any  man,  and  his 
form  more  than  the  sons  of  men."  Isa.  lii.  14.  And 
how  so  marred,  except  by  spiritual  grief? 

Verse  11.     My  lovers  and  my  friends  stand  aloof  from  my  sore; 
and  my  kinsmen  stand  afar  oif. 

Sore,  in  this  place,  means  stroke — the  stroke  of 
God — the  Divine  visitation  under  which  David  was 
suffering.  His  lovers  and  friends,  those  who  should 
have  been  the  first  to  sympathize  with  him  in  his 
affliction,  and  prompt  to  do  it,  come  not  near  him. 
They  stand  aloof;  they  seem  afraid  to  join  him,  lest, 
he  being  smitten  of  God,  they  should  be  made  to  feel 
a  part  of  the  stroke  in  their  own  persons.  His  kins- 
men, or  rather  his  neighbours,  also  stand  afar  off. 
To  be  deserted  in  the  hour  of  trial  by  those  we  have 
loved  most,  and  trusted  most,  is  a  grief  hard  to  bear. 
It  was,  however,  a  grief  that  David  had  to  bear,  and 
also  the  Son  of  David.  He  too  was  deserted  by  his 
lovers  and  friends.  When  he  was  arrested,  "  all  his 
disciples  forsook  him  and  fled."  Matt,  xxvi,  56.  And 
while  enduring  the  stroke  of  God  upon  Calvary,  all 
his  acquaintances,  and  the  women  who  followed  him 


PSALM  XXXVIII.  467 

from  Galilee,  stood  afar  off,  gazing  at  his  crucifixion. 
Luke  xxiii.  49.  They  left  him  alone  to  his  enemies, 
lest  his  enemies  should  become  theirs,  and  involve 
them  in  his  sore.  How  forlorn,  the  most  forlorn  of 
earth,  is  the  feeling  that  comes  over  the  heart  when, 
in  the  evil  day,  one  is  unjustly  deserted  by  his 
friends !  When  forsaken  by  all  others,  what  pathos 
was  there  not  in  the  interrogation  addressed  by  our 
Lord  to  his  twelve  disciples,  saying  to  them,  "Will 
ye  also  go  away'?"  John  vi.  67. 

Verse  12.  They  also  that  seek  after  my  life  lay  snares  for  me : 
and  they  that  seek  my  hurt  speak  mischievous  things,  and 
imagine  deceits  all  the  day  long. 

It  was  not  alone  by  the  desertion  of  lovers,  friends, 
and  neighbours,  that  David  was  pained,  but  also  by 
cruel  and  unscrupulous  enemies,  who  sought  after 
his  life,  spoke  mischievous  things  and  imagined  de- 
ceits all  the  day  long.  They  would  take  away  his 
life,  if  they  could;  but,  failing  in  that,  they  load  him 
with  calumnies.  How  accurately  this  verse  describes 
the  treatment  that  the  Son  of  David  experienced  at 
the  hands  of  his  enemies!  Their  seeking  after  his 
life,  and  loading  him  with  calumnies,  went  hand  in 
hand;  and  they  loaded  him  with  calumnies  in  order 
to  justify  their  murderous  act  to  the  misguided 
people,  when  they  should,  as  they  hoped,  have  at 
last  accomplished  it. 

Verses  13,  14.  But  I,  as  a  deaf  man,  heard  not;  and  I  was  as 
a  dumb  man  that  openeth  not  his  mouth.  Thus  I  was  as  a 
man  that  heareth  not,  and  in  whose  mouth  are  no  reproofs. 

David  sets  us  an  example  here  eminently  worthy 
of  our  imitation ;  that  is,  never  to  attempt  to  reason 
with  an  angry  man,  nor  to  reply  to  his  reproaches. 
It  is,  indeed,  often  a  severe  trial  of  one's  patience  to 


468  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

do  this ;  still  it  is  the  surest  way  ultimately  to  silence 
an  enemy,  and  obtain  the  Divine  interposition. 
Shimei  cursed  and  cast  stones  at  David,  when  he  was 
fleeing  before  Absalom,  and  one  of  David's  faithful 
followers  would  have  slain  him  on  the  spot:  but 
David  restrained  him,  saying,  "Let  him  alone,  let 
him  curse;  for  the  Lord  hath  bidden  him.  It  may 
be  the  Lord  will  look  upon  mine  affliction,  and  that 
the  Lord  will  requite  me  good  for  his  cursing  this 
day."  2  Sam.  xv.  5-13.  The  Son  of  David  also 
heard  the  reproaches  of  his  enemies  as  if  he  heard 
them  not,  and  was  as  silent  under  them  as  if  he  had 
nothing  to  reply  to  them,  "  He  was  oppressed,  and 
he  was  afflicted,  yet  he  opened  not  his  mouth."  Isa. 
Ixviii.  7.  '-To  all  the  evil  things  attempted  to  be 
proved  against  him  at  his  trial,  he  held  his  peace." 
Matt.  xxvi.  62.  "Herod,  too,  interrogated  him,  but 
Jesus  gave  him  no  answer."  John  xix.  9.  Both 
David  and  our  Lord  had  to  do  with  enemies  with 
whom  to  reason  would  be  worse  than  vain,  and  there- 
fore they  were  silent. 

Verse  15.     For  in  tlice,  0  Lord,  do  I  hope:  thou  wilt  hear,  0 
Lord  my  God. 

David  here  assigns  the  reason  for  his  silence  under 
reproach :  it  was  the  eff'ect  of  his  faith,  of  his  trust  in 
God,  of  his  waiting  for  the  Lord  to  vindicate  him. 
I  was  "as  a  deaf  man  that  heareth  not;  and  as  a 
dumb  man,  that  openeth  not  his  mouth,  for  in  thee, 
O  Lord,  do  I  hope;"  I  feel  assured  that  thou  wilt 
answer  for  me.  David's  patient  silence  was  the  off"- 
spring  of  his  faith  and  hope.  This  same  patient  and 
confiding  waiting  for  God  to  do  for  him,  also  charac- 
terized the  Saviour,  "  who,  when  he  was  reviled,  re- 
viled not  again;   when  he  suffered,  he  threatened 


PSALM    XXXVIII.  469 

not;  but  committed  himself  to  liim  that  judgcth 
righteously."  1  Pet.  ii.  23.  And  in  this  he  has  left 
us  an  example  that  we  "  should  follow  in  his  steps." 
1  Pet.  ii.  21-23. 

Verse  16.  For  I  said,  Hear  me;  lest  otherwise  tliey  should  re- 
joice over  me:  when  my  foot  slippeth,  they  magnify  them- 
selves against  me. 

And  if  David's  enemies  magnified  themselves 
against  him,  at  the  least  calamity  befalling  him,  such 
as  the  slipping  of  his  foot,  a  trip,  or  stumble,  how 
greatly  would  they  rejoice  were  he  to  falH  It  is  this 
utter  downfall  that  David  dreads,  and  prays  God  to 
save  him  from.  We  cannot  pray  God  too  earnestly 
to  preserve  us  from  apostasy.  The  fall  of  believers, 
and  especially  of  eminent  believers,  fills  the  enemies 
of  religion  with  the  most  exultant  hopes  and  expecta- 
tions of  soon  seeing  an  end  of  it. 

Verse  17.  For  I  am  ready  to  halt,  and  my  sorrow  is  continually 
hefore  me. 
"I  am  ready  to  halt:"  I  am  conscious  of  my  weak- 
ness and  liability  to  fall;  and  that  my  enemies  will 
certainly  rejoice  over  my  fall,  unless  thou,  God, 
hear  me.  "My  sorrow  is  continually  before  me:" 
I  see  without  ceasing  the  full  extent  of  my  danger, 
and  the  distress  that  is  ready  to  come  upon  me,  and 
which  will  come  upon  me,  unless  thou  avert  it. 

Verse  18.     Fori  will  declare  mine  iniquity;  I  will  be  sorry  for 
my  sin. 
David  does  not  pray  God  for  dehverance  from  his 
enemies,  as  one  without  sin  himself     On  the  con- 
trary, the  sense  of  his  own  sins  presses  heavily  upon 
his  heart,  and  aggravates  all  his  other  afflictions.    He 
knows  that  his  own  sins  have  brought  all  his  other 
40 


470  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

afflictions  upon  him,  and  that  he  cannot  hope  for 
entire  relief  till  his  own  sins  are  forgiven.  He 
therefore  makes  for  himself  the  confession  that 
secures  forgiveness  and  leads  to  God's  cleansing  us 
from  all  unrighteousness,  "I  will  declare  mine  ini- 
quity; I  will  be  sorry  for  my  sin."  1  John  i.  8,  9. 
But  beside  the  depressing  sense  of  his  own  sins, 
David  is  also  distressed  by  numerous,  powerful,  and 
implacable  enemies,  hating  and  persecuting  him  on 
account  of  his  very  virtues. 

Verses  19,  20.  But  mine  enemies  are  lively,  and  they  are 
strong;  and  they  that  hate  me  wrongfully  are  multiplied. 
They  also  that  render  evil  for  good,  are  mine  adversaries; 
because  I  follow  the  thing  that  good  is. 

One  of  the  darkest  traits  of  our  fallen  human 
nature  is  its  hating  the  good  that  reproves  its  evil. 
It  hates  not  only  the  word  that  reproves  its  evil,  but 
also  the  silent  life  that  reproves  it.  When  the 
Athenians  were  about  to  ostracise  Aristides,  who 
had  acquired  for  himself  the  appellation  of  the  Just, 
a  peasant  approaching  him,  asked  him  to  write  a 
vote  for  him,  condemning  Aristides  to  exile.  The 
statesman,  without  betraying  who  he  was,  asked  him 
what  harm  Aristides  had  done  him  \  "  None,"  the 
man  replied,  "but  I  am  tired  with  hearing  him  called 
the  Just."  It  was  for  no  better  reason  that  the  ene- 
mies of  David  and  of  the  Saviour  hated  them.  It 
was  their  purity  and  well-doing  that  offended  their 
enemies  most,  because  that  purity  and  well-doing 
reproved  their  wickedness.  It  is  not  alone  by  the 
world,  however,  that  the  believer  is  opposed  in  doing 
good.  He  finds  his  old  nature  opposing  him,  so  that 
when  he  would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  him. 


PSALM   XXXVIII.  471 

He  finds  a  law  in  his  members  warring  against  the 
law  of  his  mind,  and  evermore  threatening  to  bring 
him  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  in  his  members. 
These  unholy  impulses  of  our  old  nature  are  lively 
and  strong  indeed,  and  hinder  us  when  we  would  do 
good:  and  except  for  these  enemies  within  us,  the 
enemies  without  could  do  no  harm. 

Verses  21,  22.  Forsake  me  not,  O  Lord;  O  my  God,  be  not 
far  from  me.  Make  haste  to  help  me,  0  Lord,  my  salva- 
tion. 

Having  made  known  his  wants  and  misery  to  God, 
and  having  also  confessed  and  been  sorry  for  his  sins, 
David  here  flees  to  God  as  his  only  Saviour  and  sal- 
vation. He  thus  teaches  us  to  whom  we  should  flee 
when  calamity  comes  upon  us  from  any  source  what- 
ever. Are  our  souls  diseased  and  festering  with 
the  wounds  inflicted  upon  them  by  a  guilty  con- 
science'? God  alone  can  heal  those  burning  wounds. 
Are  we  reviled  and  our  names  cast  out  as  eviU  Let 
us  not  revile  again,  meeting  taunt  with  taunt,  re- 
proach with  reproach,  wickedness  with  wickedness; 
but  endure  all  in  patient  silence,  till  God  sees  fit  to 
vindicate  us.  So  doing,  he  will  not  forsake  us,  nor 
be  far  from  us,  but  make  haste  to  help  us,  for  the 
sake  of  Him  who  is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost 
all  that  come  unto  God  by  him. 


472  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XXXIX. 

The  first  six  and  remaining  seven  verses  of  this 
psalm,  though  expressly  the  religious  exercises  of 
the  same  mind,  are  in  strong  contrast  with  each 
other.  The  previous  part  of  the  psalm  describes  a 
mind  honestly,  yet  ineffectually,  strugghng  to  repress 
and  conceal  its  vexation  and  hard  thoughts  of  God, 
at  his  prospering  the  wicked  and  afflicting  the  right- 
eous. The  latter  part  of  the  psalm  is  in  altogether 
another  tone,  justifying  God  in  all  his  dealings  and 
severity  with  the  righteous  man,  by  acknowledging 
that  all  his  sufferings  are  a  merited  punishment  for 
his  own  individual  sins.  The  first  part  should  not  be 
read  without  keeping  continually  in  mind  the  thought 
that  it  was  written  under  only  the  light  of  the  Old 
Testament  dispensation,  where  a  withholding  of  the 
temporal  prosperity,  therein  so  largely  promised  to 
the  righteous,  seemed,  at  least  to  the  weak  and 
afflicted  believer,  hard.  How  much  more  favoured 
are  we,  when  affliction  comes  on  us,  who  have,  to 
sustain  our  faith,  the  words  of  Him  who  spake  as 
never  man  spake,  and  who  assures  us,  "that  our 
light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh 
for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory;  while  we  look  not  at  the  things  which  are 
seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen."  2  Cor. 
iv.  17,  18. 

Verse  1.  I  said,  I  will  take  heed  to  my  ways,  that  I  sin  not  with 
my  tongue :  I  will  keep  my  mouth  with  a  bridle,  while  the 
wicked  is  before  me. 

AVhatever  might  be   the  thoughts  of  his  heart, 
David  here  resolved  that  he  would  not  give  them 


PSALM   XXXIX.  473 

utterance.  He  would  take  heed  to  his  ways,  that  he 
sinned  not  with  his  tongue,  if  he  did  with  his  heart. 
It  is  not  ahvays  possible  to  keep  repining  thoughts  out 
of  our  minds ;  it  is,  however,  possible  for  us  to  keep 
them  from  leaping  to  the  tongue.  Sorely  tried  and 
sorely  tempted,  while  humbly  endeavouring  to  do  the 
will  of  God,  David  might  feel  the  providence  to  be  a 
hard  one,  but  he  would  not  say  so.  Not  to  offend  in 
speech  is  a  virtue  that  has  few  superior  to  it — ^hence 
the  inspired  saying,  "  If  any  man  offend  not  in  word, 
the  same  is  a  perfect  man,  and  able  also  to  bridle  the 
whole  body."  James  iii.  2.  In  speech,  at  least,  David 
resolved  to  be  without  fault :  "  I  will  keep  my  mouth 
with  a  bridle,  while  the  wicked  is  before  me."  He 
was  specially  resolved,  however  much  and  mysteri- 
ously he  might  suffer,  not  to  let  fall,  in  the  presence 
of  the  wicked,  of  those  who  prospered  in  iniquity, 
any  word  that  could  be  construed  to  disparage  the 
providence  of  God.  This  would  subject  both  him 
and  his  trust  in  God  to  their  ridicule.  When  Chris- 
tians become  restive  under  the  orderings  of  Divine 
Providence,  and  complain  of  them,  they  give  the 
world  an  opportunity  to  disparage  their  religion, 
which  it  does  not  fail  to  improve.  The  words,  how- 
ever, "while  the  wicked  are  before,"  probably  refer, 
not  to  their  bodily  presence,  but  only  to  their  pre- 
sence to  David's  thoughts.  It  is  thus  that  he  uses 
the  words  elsewhere,  saying,  "My  sin  is  ever  before 
me."  Ps.  li.  3.  That  is,  his  sin  was  ever  present  to 
his  mind.  Accordingly,  David  here  promises,  that 
when  thoughts  of  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked  are 
present  to  his  mind,  exciting  discontent  and  envious 
resentment,  he  will  put  a  guard  upon  his  lips,  a 
40* 


474  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

muzzle  upon  his  mouth,  to  prevent  all  expression 
of  his  .  unhappy  feelings.  Christians  cannot  be  too 
guarded  in  giving  utterance  to  expressions  of  envious 
discontent  at  the  prosperity  of  others. 

Verse  2.     I  was  dumb  with  silence :  I  held  my  peace,  even  from 
good;  and  my  sorrow  was  stirred. 

David  was  so  anxious  not  to  offend  in  word,  that 
he  abstained  from  all  comment  whatever  upon  God's 
dealings  with  him.  He  was  so  fearful,  if  he  spoke 
at  all,  of  saying  something  amiss,  that  he  held  his 
peace  from  speaking  the  good  that  he  might,  and  no 
doubt  should  have  spoken,  of  the  Divine  providence. 
The  darkest  providence  that  overshadows  us,  has  still 
some  blendings  of  mercy  and  goodness  in  it;  and 
upon  these  relieving  features  of  an  afflictive  dispensa- 
tion, we  should  willingly  dwell  and  freely  speak. 
Because  of  his  not  doing  this,  David's  grief  found  no 
abatement.  On  the  contrary,  his  sorrow  was  stirred, 
roused,  and  excited  into  greater  intensity,  by  his 
silence.  His  pent-up  feelings  of  discontent  were 
exasperated  by  it. 

Verse  3.     My  heart  was  hot  within  me;  while  I  was  musing  the 
fire  burned :  then  spake  I  with  my  tongue. 

David's  musing  silence  at  last  set  his  heart  on  fire ; 
his  feelings  of  repining  discontent  reached  the  point 
of  glowing  heat,  and  he  was  weary  of  longer  forbear- 
ing, and  could  not  do  it.  His  long  coerced  silence 
could  be  no  longer  kept,  and  he  did  what  he,  in  the 
first  verse,  had  so  resolutely  determined  that  he  would 
not  do — he  sinned  against  God  with  his  tongue. 
And  in  the  next  three  verses  we  have,  it  is  generally 
believed,  the  very  words  he  uttered  when  he  at  last 
spake  with  his  tongue. 


PSALM  XXXIX.  476 

Verse  4.  Lord,  make  me  to  know  mine  end,  and  the  measure  of 
my  days,  what  it  is;  that  I  may  know  how  frail  I  am. 

Or,  that  I  may  know  when  I  shall  cease;  when  the 
measure  of  my  days  will  come  to  its  end.  It  was, 
perhaps,  not  in  the  spirit  of  true  prayer,  but  of  impa- 
tient desire,  that  David  prayed  thus.  Despairing  of 
any  escape  from  his  sufferings,  except  in  death,  he  is 
anxious  to  know  how  far  it  is  removed  from  him. 
He  evidently  hopes  that  it  is  near,  and  will  soon 
be  upon  him.  This  desire  for  death,  now  looked 
upon  as  the  only  termination  of  his  sufferings,  we  see 
also  in  Job.  He  too,  like  David,  for  a  long  time 
sinned  not  with  his  lips;  at  last,  however,  he  opened 
his  mouth  and  cursed  his  day,  and  desired  to  die, 
saying,  "O  that  I  might  have  my  request;  and  that 
God  woidd  grant  me  the  thing  that  I  long  for! 
Even  that  it  would  please  God  to  destroy  me ;  that 
he  would  let  loose  his  hand,  and  cut  me  off!"  Job  vi. 
8,  9.  Though  wise  and  good  men  have,  under  sore 
afflictions,  indulged  in  this  extreme  of  impatience,  it 
cannot  be  justified.  It  is  quarreling  with  God;  it  is 
the  remains  of  indwelling  sin  gaining  the  ascendency, 
for  the  time  being,  over  the  believer's  better  nature. 
Such  weariness  of  life,  and  desire  to  be  relieved  of  it 
as  an  insupportable  load,  may  not  indicate  the  utter 
extinction  of  the  Divine  life  in  the  soul,  but  they  do 
certainly  indicate  that  our  faith  is  suffering  an  eclipse. 

Verse  5.  Behold,  thou  hast  made  my  days  as  an  hand-breadth  j 
and  my  age  is  as  nothing  before  thee;  verily  every  man  at 
his  best  estate,  is  altogether  vanity.     Selah. 

How  sad,  how  grievous,  that  anything  so  brief,  so 
fleeting,  so  evanescent,  so  vain  and  empty  in  its  best 
estate,  as  human  life  is,  should  be  embittered  by  so 
many  sorrows!     This  is  evidently  David's  thought 


476  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

here ;  to  which  he  adds  a  Selah,  that  we  may  ponder 
it.  This  is  also  the  thought  of  Job,  where  he  says: 
"  Man  that  is  born  of  a  woman  is  of  few  days,  and 
full  of  trouble.  He  cometh  forth  like  a  flower,  and 
is  cut  down:  he  fleeth  also  as  a  shadow,  and  con- 
tinueth  not.  And  dost  thou  open  thine  eyes  upon 
such  an  one,  and  bringest  me  into  judgment  with 
thee]"  Job  xiv.  1-3.  It  seemed  to  Job's  mind  hard 
that  a  creature,  so  short-lived,  should  be  dealt  with 
so  severely  as  God  was  dealing  with  him.  This  same 
thought  has  found  its  way  into  other  human  hearts. 
It  has  seemed  a  mystery  to  them  that  life  should  be 
so  full  of  suffering  and  sorrow.  It  is  indeed  a  mys- 
tery, which  nothing  but  the  entrance  of  sin  into  the 
world  can  solve.  Its  entrance  "  brought  death  into 
the  world  and  all  our  wo." 

Verse  6.  Surely  every  manwalketli  in  a  vain  show;  surely  they 
are  disquieted  in  vain :  he  heapeth  up  riches,  and  knoweth 
not  who  shall  gather  them. 

"What  shadows  we  are,  and  what  shadows  we 
pursue!"  is  the  thought  of  this  verse.  Shadows  in- 
deed, and  pursuing  shadows,  if  in  this  life  only  we 
have  hope;  and  David,  under  the  obscuration  of  his 
faith  caused  by  the  intensity  of  his  sufferings,  seems 
to  have  forgotten  that  there  is  in  reserve  for  the  be- 
liever a  something  better  than  temporal  prosperity. 
Man,  he  says,  busies  and  disquiets  himself  in  vain; 
he  rises  early,  toils  late,  and  eats  the  bread  of  care- 
fulness, but  cannot  tell  who  shall  enjoy  the  fruit  of 
his  labours.  He  heapeth  up  riches,  and  cannot  tell 
who  shall  gather  them,  whether  his  own  seed  and 
offspring,  or  a  stranger.  Even  while  he  is  saying  to 
his  soul,  "Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for 
many  years;  take  thine  ease,"  God  may  be  saying  to 


PSALM   XXXIX.  477 

him,  "Thou  fool!  this  night  shall  thy  soul  be  re- 
quired of  thee;  then  whose  shall  those  things  be 
which  thou  hast  provided  1"  Luke  xii.  19,  20. 

We  have  now  given  what  we  believe  to  be  the 
true  interpretation  of  the  words  that  David  uttered, 
when,  having  at  length  broken  his  long  silence,  he 
spake  with  his  tongue.  His  words  are  not  to  be 
commended;  they  indicate  an  impatient  and  re- 
pining spirit,  a  spirit  dissatisfied  with  its  lot,  and 
envious  at  what  it  conceives  to  be  the  more  desirable 
lot  of  others.  At  this  point,  however,  David  comes 
to  himself;  his  faith  in  God  revives,  saying, 

Verse  7.     And  now,  Lord,  wliat  wait  I  for  ?  my  hope  is  in  tliee. 

David  is  perplexed,  but  not  in  despair.  His  hope 
is  still  in  God.  He  has  suffered  greatly  under  the 
chastenings  of  his  hand;  nevertheless,  the  language 
of  his  heart  now  is,  "  though  he  slay  me,  yet  Avill  I 
trust  in  him."  Much  as  he  had  complained,  both  of 
the  sorrows  of  life  and  of  the  nothingness  of  its  joys, 
he  now  seems  to  forget  them  all  in  the  treasure  that 
he  has  in  the  Lord.  "Lord,  what  wait  I  fori  my 
hope  is  in  thee."  He  had  been  fondly  thinking  that 
temporal  prosperity  was  essential  to  his  happiness; 
he  now  acknowledges  his  error,  and  confidingly  waits 
for  God  to  solve  the  mysteries  of  his  providence  in 
his  own  time  and  way.  David's  long  and  painful 
struggle  with  his  hard  thoughts  of  the  Divine  pro- 
vidence has  resulted  in  a  renewal,  in  greatly  aug- 
mented strength,  of  his  faith  in  God  as  his  only 
hope  and  all-sufficient  treasure.  And  a  blessed  thing 
it  is  for  the  believer,  when  his  very  aberrations  are 
overruled  to  bring  him  into  a  closer  walk  with 
God. 


478  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Verse  8.    Deliver  me  from  all  my  transgressions;  make  me  not. 
the  reproacli  of  the  foolish. 

David  here  goes  to  the  root  of  all  that  he  had 
suffered  at  the  hand  of  God  and  of  his  enemies — his 
own  transgressions — and  among  them,  no  doubt,  were 
numbered  his  complaints  of  the  Divine  providence. 
It  was  these  things  that  brought  down  the  rod  of 
God  upon  him,  and  made  him  to  be  reproached  by 
the  foolish;  and  if  these  were  but  pardoned  and  re- 
moved, he  knew  that  the  judgments  they  had  pro- 
voked would  be  removed  with  them.  When  in 
trouble,  we  cannot  too  soon  inquire  what  sin  or  sins 
of  our  own  have  brought  it  upon  us,  and  pray  to  be 
forgiven.  We  should,  till  the  contrary  appears,  take 
it  for  granted  that  the  cause  of  all  our  troubles  is  in 
ourselves. 

Verse  9.     I  was  dumb,  I  opened  not  my  mouth;  because  thou 
didst  it. 

The  silence  of  the  Psalmist  here  is  very  different 
from  that  of  which  he  spoke  in  the  second  verse. 
His  silence  there  was  constrained,  his  heart  was  not 
in  it ;  though  silent,  his  spirit  was  still  swelling  with 
feelings  of  envious  discontent.  It  is  otherwise  here. 
Silence  here  is  the  effect  of  his  entire  and  cheerful 
acquiescence  in  the  Divine  dealings  with  him.  It 
proceeded  not  from  compulsion,  but  from  filial  love. 
"I  opened  not  my  mouth,  because  thou  didst  it." 
Tracing  all  his  afflictions  directly  or  indirectly  to  the 
hand  of  God,  he  was  not  at  all  disposed  to  repine  at 
them,  but  to  receive  them  as  the  chastenings  of  a 
Father,  administered  in  love.  O  for  the  spirit  of 
David  to  enable  us  all  to  say,  when  afflictions  come 
upon  us,  "I  was  dumb,  I  opened  not  my  mouth, 
because  thou  didst  it." 


PSALM   XXXIX.  479 

Verse  10.  Remove  thy  stroke  away  from  me :  I  am  consumed 
by  the  blow  of  thine  hand. 

Though  fiUally  suhmissivc  to  the  Divine  correc- 
tion, he  still  prays  that  the  stroke  may  be  removed. 
His  silence  extended  only  to  his  not  murmuring 
against  God,  and  not  to  his  still  addressing  him  in 
prayer.  Indeed,  the  most  acceptable  and  effectual 
prayer  that  ascends  to  the  Majesty  on  high,  is  that 
which  ascends  thither  from  a  submissive,  uncom- 
plaining, unmurmuring  heart. 

Verse  11.  When  thou  with  rebukes  dost  correct  man  for  ini- 
quity, thou  makest  his  beauty  to  consume  away  like  a  moth: 
surely  every  man  is  vanity.     Selah. 

God's  blows  are  not  wanton  blows,  but  rebukes  to 
correct  us  for  our  sins;  and  yet  his  corrective  rebukes 
sometimes  consume  the  soul  as  a  moth  consumes  a 
garment — ^lays  its  whole  texture  waste.  This  is  an 
appeal  to  the  Divine  compassion  to  forbear  punish- 
ment, since  it  so  consumes  the  beauty  of  man,  so  lays 
waste  all  that  he  most  loves  and  most  desires.  That 
is  thought  to  be  the  import  of  the  word  heaiity  in 
this  place.  Man's  most  precious  things  are  made  to 
appear  worthless  when  God  visits  him  with  severity 
for  his  sins.  "Surely,  every  man  is  vanity,  Selah." 
This  is  not  said  in  the  spirit  and  meaning  with  which 
it  was  said  in  a  previous  part  of  the  psalm.  It  is 
here  said  to  move  the  compassionate  God  to  help 
one  so  helpless;  not  to  deal  with  him  in  severity, 
but  in  tender  mercy.  How  delightful  is  the  thought 
thus  presented  to  our  minds,  that  we  may  plead  our 
ver}'  weaknesses  with  God  as  an  argument  why  he 
should  help  us,  and  not  plead  them  in  vain. 

Verse  12.  Hear  my  prayer,  0  Lord,  and  give  ear  unto  my  cry; 
hold  not  thy  peace  at  my  tears ;  for  I  am  a  stranger  with 
thee,  and  a  sojourner,  as  all  my  fathers  were. 


480  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

It  is  not  with  querulous  complaints  that  David 
now  seeks  to  move  God,  but  by  prayers  and  tears, 
and  by  representing  himself  as  a  stranger  in  the 
earth,  and  a  sojourner,  without  a  home,  and  without 
refuge,  except  in  him,  the  Lord  his  God.  And  here 
again  David  pleads  his  need  of  help,  as  his  great 
argument  to  move  God  to  grant  it.  He  urges  God 
to  have  compassion  on  him,  for,  if  he  do  not,  he  must 
perish. 

Verse  13.     0  spare  me,  that  I  may  recover  strength,  before  I  go 
hence,  and  be  no  more. 

This  is  a  much  more  appropriate  prayer  than  that 
of  the  fourth  verse,  where  David  prays  to  know  the 
measure  of  his  days,  evidently  hoping  that  the  end 
was  near.  He  there  felt  life  to  be  a  burthen  of 
which  he  would  gladly  be  rid — not,  indeed,  by  his 
own  hands,  but  by  the  providence  of  God.  He  still 
had  grace  enough  to  deter  him  from  suicide.  Here, 
however,  having  been  brought  to  repentance  and  a 
better  mind,  he  prays  that  his  life  may  be  prolonged. 
He  realizes  that  he  needs  to  be  strengthened  before 
he  can  depart  hence  in  peace.  And  this,  no  doubt, 
will  be  the  experience  even  of  those  of  us  who  have 
the  most  earnestly  desired  to  escape  life  and  its  sor- 
rows. When  the  time  approaches  in  which  we  per- 
ceive that  we  must  soon  depart  hence,  we  shall  see 
that  we  are  not  so  well  prepared  to  take  the  journey 
as  we,  in  our  impatience,  thought  we  were;  and  wo 
may  then  desire,  as  earnestly  as  David  desired  it,  to 
be  spared  till  we  have  gained  strength  for  what  is 
before  us.  You  need  not  to  be  told  whence  alone 
this  strength  can  be  obtained;  that  He  who  died  on 
Calvary,  that  He  alone,  can  enable  you  to  pass  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  fearing  no  evil. 


PSALM   XL.  481 


LECTURE   ON   PSALM   XL. 

Some  eminent  critics  suppose  that  David,  throughout 
the  whole  of  this  psalm,  speaks  in  the  name  of 
Christ.  Others,  however,  equally  learned  and  judi- 
cious— while  admitting  that  all  that  David  says  may 
be  applied  to  Christ  in  his  humiliation  and  work  of 
redeeming  love — suppose  that  he  speaks  of  Christ, 
primarily  and  exclusively,  only  in  the  verses,  reading, 
"Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  didst  not  desire;  mine 
ears  hast  thou  opened:  burnt-offering  and  sin-offer- 
ing hast  thou  not  required.  Then  said  I,  Lo,  I 
come :  in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me, 
I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God:  yea,  thy  law  is 
within  my  heart."  It  would  be  difficult  to  deter- 
mine which  of  these  two  classes  of  critics  comes  the 
nearer  to  the  true  interpretation: — we,  however, 
incline  to  the  interpretation  that  makes  the  psalm 
refer  for  the  most  part  to  Christ.  It  seems  to  me 
that  we  do  not  attain  to  the  full  meaning  of  the 
psalm  without  so  understanding  it. 

Verses  1,  2.  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord;  and  he  inclined 
unto  me,  and  heard  my  cry.  He  brought  me  up  also  out  of 
an  horrible  pit,  and  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet  upon 
a  rock,  and  established  my  goings. 

To  be  in  an  horrible  pit,  whose  bottom  is  nothing 
but  miry  clay,  describes  as  helpless  and  disagreeable 
a  situation  as  can  well  be  conceived.  It  is  a  situa- 
tion in  which  the  being  obliged  to  wait  long  for  help 
and  deliverance  would  be  extremely  irksome.  But 
situated  as  he  was,  and  suffering  as  he  must  have 
been,  David  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord  to  deliver 
him:  and  his  patient  waiting  was  not  in  vain.  The 
41 


482  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Lord  inclined  unto  him,  and  heard  his  cry,  and 
brought  him  up  out  of  the  pit  in  which  he  was  sink- 
ing, supposed  to  be  a  deep  religious  melancholy,  and 
set  his  feet  upon  a  rock,  and  established  his  steps, 
quieted  all  his  mental  anxieties,  and  strengthened 
him  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner  man  to 
go  on  his  way  rejoicing.  Out  of  how  many  such 
pits  does  God  lift  the  believer  in  the  course  of  his 
religious  history! 

Verse  3.  And  he  hath  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth,  even 
praise  unto  our  Grod :  many  shall  see  it,  and  fear,  and  shall 
trust  in  the  Lord. 

Every  new  token  of  the  Divine  mercy  should  be 
celebrated  with  a  new  song:  if  not  always  new  in 
words,  yet  always  new  at  least  in  the  fervour  with 
which  old  words  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  are 
chanted.  New  fervour  will  make  a  new  song  out 
of  old  words  and  an  old  theme.  And  the  fervour 
of  our  song  should  be  specially  glowing  when  we 
celebrate,  as  David  does  here,  some  great  and  signal 
mercy.  So  celebrated,  it  will  have  a  blessed  effect 
also  upon  others :  they  will  see  and  fear,  and  trust  in 
the  Lord :  hearing  how  great  both  the  power  and  the 
mercy  were  that  God  manifested  on  our  behalf,  they 
will  stand  in  awe  of  the  power,  and  hope  in  the 
mercy,  and  so  be  led  to  take  refuge  in  the  Lord  as 
their  Helper. 

Verse  4.  Blessed  is  that  man  that  maketh  the  Lord  his  trust, 
and  respecteth  not  the  proud,  nor  such  as  turn  aside  to  lies. 

Blessed,  because,  having  made  the  Lord  his  trust, 
he  has  a  Refuge  that  can  never  fail  him ;  a  Friend 
that  will  never  forsake  him;  a  Fountain  of  bliss  that 
can  never  be  exhausted.  In  his  hour  of  need  he  has 
no  occasion  to  respect  the  proud,  to  look  to  the  great 


PSALM   XL.  483 

and  mighty  of  the  earth  for  help ;  nor  to  such  as  seek 
their  happiness  in  things  that  cannot  confer  it,  in 
things  that  flatter  only  to  deceive,  promise  only  to 
disappoint,  and  hence  are  said  to  "  turn  aside  to  lies." 
All  their  hopes  and  expectations  of  happiness  in  the 
things  in  which  they  place  it,  are  beUed  at  last.  Not 
so  the  hopes  and  expectations  of  the  man  who  hath 
made  the  Lord  his  trust. 

Verse  5.  Many,  0  Lord  my  God,  are  tliy  wonderful  works 
which  thou  hast  done,  and  thy  thoughts  which  are  to  us- 
ward :  they  cannot  be  reckoned  up  in  order  unto  thee :  if  I 
would  declare  and  speak  of  them,  they  arc  more  than  can  be 
numbered. 

The  signal  mercy  of  having  been  delivered  from 
the  noisome  pit  into  which  he  had  fallen  and  was 
sinking,  excites  David's  memory  into  the  utmost 
activity.  It  revives  in  his  mind  the  recollection  of 
all  other  mercies  that  he  and  his  nation  had  received 
at  the  hands  of  their  covenant-keeping  God.  His 
works  of  mercy  and  thoughts  of  mercy  towards  them, 
had  been  more  than  could  be  numbered.  It  is  a 
gratifying  evidence  of  grace  alive  and  operative  in 
our  hearts,  when  every  new  mercy  revives  and  deep- 
ens the  impression  of  former  mercies  to  us  and  ours. 
Stinted  as  we  may  sometimes  think  our  mercies  to 
have  been,  if  we  let  memory  tell  its  story,  we  soon 
find  that  they  have  been  more  than  can  be  num- 
bered. 

Verse  6.  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  didst  not  desire;  mine 
ears  hast  thou  opened;  burnt-offering  and  sin-offering  hast 
thou  not  required. 

Behold  a  greater  than  David  here!  These  are 
Messiah's  words:  the  very  words  that  St.  Paul  repre- 
sents him  as  using  when  he  at  last  came  into  the 
world;  only,  instead  of  saying,  "mine  ears  hast  thou 


484  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

opened,"  he  says,  "  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  me." 
Heb.  X.  5.  The  words  proclaim  the  great  fact  that 
ritual  sacrifices  could  not  put  away  sin.  For  that 
purpose  God  neither  desired  them,  nor  required 
them.  He  instituted  them  not  to  atone  for  sin,  but 
to  symbolize  the  necessity  for  an  atonement,  and  to 
keep  perpetually  alive  in  the  heart  and  conscience 
of  the  offerer,  a  vivid  consciousness  of  that  fact. 
Offered  as  if  they  were  in  themselves  efficacious  to 
remove  human  guilt  and  desert  of  punishment,  they 
were  not  acceptable.  It  was  as  a  sin-remembrancer, 
and  not  as  a  sin-remover,  that  sacrifices  were  insti- 
tuted. It  was  the  mind  of  the  offerer,  and  not  his 
offering,  that  the  Lord  regarded  in  the  sacrifice.  The 
offering  was  as  nothing  to  him,  if  it  was  not  made 
with  a  willing  and  obedient  mind.  "  Hath  the  Lord 
as  great  delight  in  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifies  as  in 
obeying  the  voice  of  the  Lord'?  Behold,  to  obey  is 
better  than  sacrifice."  1  Sam.  xv.  22.  The  sacrifice 
was  nothing  worth,  unless  the  offerer  therein  sacri- 
ficed his  own  wiU  to  the  will  of  God.  This  impor- 
tant fact  is  indicated  in  the  words  "mine  ears  hast 
thou  bored."  In  this  boring  of  the  ears  there  is  an 
allusion  to  a  servant  who,  when  he  might  have  been 
free,  his  term  of  service  having  expired,  voluntarily 
and  from  love  made  himself  a  servant  for  life  to  his 
former  master,  the  master,  in  token  of  the  life-long 
relation,  horing  his  ears.  Exod.  xxi.  6.  This  was  by 
Divine  direction.  This  submitting  to  have  his  ears 
bored,  was  an  acknowledgment  on  the  part  of  the 
servant  that,  henceforth  to  the  end  of  his  days,  he 
would  know  no  will  but  the  will  of  his  master,  always 
sacrificing  his  own  to  it.  In  this  allusion,  then,  our 
Lord  intimates  his  entire  devotion  to  doing  the  will 


PSALM   XL.  485 

of  God;  that,  in  working  out  human  redemption,  he 
would  know  no  will  but  the  will  of  his  Father, 
always  sacrificing  his  own  to  it.  This  was  the  obe- 
dience that  is  better  than  sacrifice.  It  was  an  obe- 
dience even  unto  death,  on  the  part  of  our  Lord,  in 
the  body  that  God  had  prepared  him.  And  it  was 
this  willing,  voluntary  obedience  that  gave  his  death 
all  its  value  as  an  atoning  sacrifice.  Heb.  x.  10. 

Verses  7,  <S.  Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come:  in  the  vohxme  of  the 
book  it  is  written  of  me,  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  my  God ; 
yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart. 

"Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come."  When  did  Messiah 
say  this'?  When  he  saw  the  utter  insufficiency  of 
ritual  sacrifices  to  atone  for  sin,  and  redeem  man  to 
God — when  he  saw  that  man  was  utterly  hopeless 
and  helpless  in  himself — then  it  was  that  he  said, 
"Lo,  I  come:"  I  come  to  off'er  a  sacrifice  that  will 
atone  for  sin,  and  redeem  man  to  God,  even  the 
sacrifice  of  myself.  This,  no  doubt,  is  the  import  of 
the  words.  This  is  the  meaning  given  to  them  by 
St.  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  (x.  5-10.) 
Nor  did  Messiah  make  this  sacrifice  of  himself  reluc- 
tantly, but  with  delight.  Hence  he  adds,  "In  the 
volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me,  I  delight  to 
do  thy  will,  O  my  God."  To  obey  his  Father's  will, 
even  unto  death,  was  a  pleasure  to  him.  As  St.  Paul 
represents  Christ  coming  into  the  world  with  these 
words  on  his  lips,  Heb.  x.  5-7,  "  the  volume  of  the 
book,"  of  which  he  here  speaks,  is  thought  by  some 
to  comprise  all  that  is  said  of  Christ  in  the  law  of 
Moses,  in  the  prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms,  Luke 
xxiv.  44 ;  he  speaking  of  the  whole  prophetic  record 
in  regard  to  himself,  as  if  it  were  already  complete. 
If  this  be  the  meaning  of  the  words,  "  the  volume  of 
41* 


486  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  book,"  in  how  many  places  shall  we  find  it  writ- 
ten of  Christ,  that  he  delighted  in  doing  his  Father's 
will!  "Yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart."  This  is 
the  reason  why  Messiah  delighted  to  do  the  will  of 
his  Father,  even  his  will  in  regard  to  his  own  most 
fearful  death.  His  law  was  in  his  heart.  He  loved 
it,  and  obeyed  it  from  love. 

Verses  9,  10.  I  have  preached  righteousness  in  the  great  con- 
gregation: lo,  I  have  not  refrained  my  lips,  0  Lord,  thou 
knowest.  I  have  not  hid  thy  righteousness  in  my  heart;  I 
have  declared  thy  faithfulness  and  thy  salvation :  I  have  not 
concealed  thy  loving-kindness  and  thy  truth  from  the  great 
congregation. 

Our  Lord  came  into  the  world  as  our  Prophet,  to 
teach  us  the  way  of  salvation,  as  well  as  our  Priest, 
to  atone  for  our  sins  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself.  And 
here,  in  the  verses  just  recited,  he  speaks  as  the 
teaching  'prophet.  He  calls  upon  God  to  witness, 
that  he  has  not  refrained  to  proclaim  the  whole  truth : 
"I  have  preached  righteousness  in  the  great  congre- 
gation— I  have  not  hid  thy  righteousness  in  my 
heart."  The  righteousness  of  God,  of  which  our 
Lord  here  speaks,  is,  no  doubt,  at  least  three-fold — 
his  righteousness  in  exacting  full  satisfaction  for  the 
dishonour  done  his  law ;  his  righteousness  in  render- 
ing to  every  man  his  due ;  and  also  his  righteousness 
in  justifying  every  one  that  belie veth  in  his  Son.  He 
exhibited  this  attribute  of  Divinity  to  the  world,  as 
it  had  never  been  exhibited  before ;  not  as  an  abstrac- 
tion, but  as  an  active  principle,  modifying,  directing, 
and  controlling  all  his  other  attributes:  "I  have  de- 
clared thy  faithfulness  and  thy  salvation :  I  have  not 
concealed  thy  loving-kindness  and  thy  truth."  The 
God  whom  Messiah  declared  unto  the  world,  is  not 
a  God  of  righteousness  only,  but  also  of  faithfulness 


PSALM   XL.  487 

and  truth.  What  he  promises,  he  performs.  He 
never  behes  his  word.  Moreover,  he  is  also  a  God 
of  salvation  and  loving-kindness: — of  salvation,  in 
giving  his  only  begotten  Son  to  die  for  our  redemp- 
tion; of  loving-kindness,  in  bearing  with  our  infirmi- 
ties, and  cro-svning  our  lives  with  his  mercies.  The 
Lord  our  God  was,  comparatively,  an  unknown  God, 
until  Messiah  declared  him  to  the  world.  But  how 
bold  is  the  relief  in  which  he  brings  out  the  Divine 
character  in  his  teachings,  exhibiting  each  particular 
attribute  as  perfect,  and  the  whole  as  operating  toge- 
ther in  infinite  harmony — mercy  and  truth  meeting 
together,  righteousness  and  peace  kissing  each  other! 
Ps.  Ixxxv.  10. 

Verse  11.  Witlihold  not  thou  thy  tender  mercies  from  mc, 
0  Lord:  let  thy  loving-kindness  and  thy  truth  continually 
preserve  me. 
David  is  thought  to  be  speaking  here,  no  longer  in 
Messiah's  name,  but  in  his  ovm,  and  seeking  for  him- 
self the  grace  and  mercy  proclaimed  in  the  preceding 
verses.  It  is  not,  however,  to  the  righteousness  of 
God  that  he  looks  for  help,  but  to  "his  tender  mer- 
cies, loving-kindness,  and  truth."  And  he  asks  that 
he  may  experience  these,  not  once  only,  nor  at  inter- 
vals only,  but  continually.  Nothing  but  continual 
grace  and  mercy  can  preserve  us.  If  God  withhold 
his  loving-kindness  from  us  but  for  a  moment,  we 
fall.  In  a  spiritual,  as  well  as  in  a  physical  sense,  in 
him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being. 

Verse  12.  For  innumerable  evils  have  compassed  me  about; 
mine  iniquities  have  taken  hold  upon  me,  so  that  I  am  not 
able  to  look  up :  they  are  more  than  the  hairs  of  mine  head , 
therefore  my  heart  faileth  me. 

Here  is  the  reason  why  the  psalmist  prayed  God 

not  to  withhold  his  tender  mercies  from  him:  he  is 


488  LECTURES  ON  THE  TSALMS.  ' 

compassed  about  with  innumerable  evils.  He  sees 
danger  on  every  side.  His  sins,  either  in  his  con- 
viction of  them,  or  punishment  for  them,  have  found 
him  out.  They  have  laid  hold  of  him  like  so  many 
ministers  of  justice,  and  have  him  under  arrest. 
Moroever,  they  seem  to  him  more  numerous  than 
the  hairs  of  his  head.  O,  when  God's  Spirit,  quick- 
ening memory  and  conscience,  recalls  our  sins  to  our 
minds,  how  numerous  and  appalling  they  are  made 
to  appear!  AVhose  heart,  at  such  times,  has  not,  like 
David's,  failed  him  1  And  how  often  does  it  happen 
with  us,  as  it  did  here  with  David,  that  the  most 
vivid  sense  of  our  sinfulness  springs  up  in  our  hearts 
along  with  the  clearest  perceptions  of  Christ  as  the 
only,  and  yet  all-sufficient  Saviour  of  sinners !  It  is 
mercy  indeed,  that  the  Divine  Spirit  thus  connects 
the  two — that  while  he  makes  us  so  painfully  con- 
scious of  our  danger,  he  suggests  the  refuge;  that 
while  he  makes  us  so  conscious  of  our  disease,  he 
reminds  us  also  of  the  only  Physician.  A  sight  of 
our  sins,  without  a  sight  of  the  Saviour,  would  drive 
us  to  despair. 

Verse  13.     Be  jileased,  0  Lord,  to  deliver  mc:  0  Lord,  make 
haste  to  help  me. 

This  cry  for  help  is  very  like  an  emphatic  "  Lord, 
save!  I  perish!"  When  a  sense  of  our  sins  lays  hold 
of  us,  as  David's  laid  hold  of  him,  we  feel  that  deliver- 
ance cannot  come  too  soon:  as  if  delay  would  be 
perdition;  and  the  prayer,  "O  Lord,  make  haste  to 
help  me,"  seems  the  only  appropriate  one  to  be 
offered  up.  But  while  we  thus  pray  God  to  make 
haste  to  help  us,  we  should  not  be  impatient,  or 
despair,  if  he  should  not  vouchsafe  an  answer  at 
once.     If  he  answered  us  at  once,  he  might  make 


PSALM   XL.  489 

too  great  haste  for  our  good.  He  might  grant  us  the 
pardon  of  our  sins  before  we  had  sufficiently  felt  the 
burthen  and  intolerablencss  of  them,  and  conse- 
quently before  we  had  sufficiently  realized  the  pre- 
ciousness  of  Christ  as  our  Deliverer. 

Verses  14,  15.  Let  tliem  be  ashamed  and  confounded  together 
that  seek  after  my  soul  to  destroy  it;  let  them  be  driven 
backward  and  put  to  shame  that  wish  me  evil.  Let  them 
be  desolate  for  a  reward  of  their  shame  that  say  unto  me, 
Aha,  aha! 

The  verbs  in  these  verses  being  translated  in  the 
imperative  mood,  appear  to  contain  a  prayer — appear 
as  if  David  really  desired  the  destruction  of  his  ene- 
mies. It  is  an  unfortunate  translation.  The  verbs 
should  have  been  translated  in  the  future  tense,  and 
thus  made  to  contain  merely  a  prediction  of  what 
would,  in  the  orderings  of  the  Divine  providence, 
inevitably  befall  David's  enemies;  and,  indeed,  all 
persecutors  of  the  people  of  God.  David  expects, 
but  can  hardly  be  said  to  desire — and  certainly  not 
from  any  personal  feeling  in  the  matter — that  his 
enemies  would  be  put  to  shame,  confounded,  and 
made  desolate.  And  he  was  justified  in  the  expecta- 
tion, for  both  the  word  and  providence  of  God  taught 
him  that  such  would  be  the  case.  A  precious  thought 
it  is,  too,  to  the  troubled  believer,  that  God  will,  in 
his  own  good  time,  put  to  shame  all  enemies  of  his 
peace  and  safety,  whether  visible  or  invisible,  human 
or  infernal.  It  is  a  joy  to  him  to  know  that  there  is 
a  place  where  the  "  wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and 
the  weary  are  at  rest;  a  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth, 
wherein  dwelleth  righteousness  only."  2  Pet.  iii.  13. 

Verse  16.  Let  all  those  that  seek  thee  rejoice  and  be  glad  in 
thee :  let  such  as  love  thy  salvation  say  continually,  The  Lord 
be  magnified. 


490  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Here  again  the  several  verbs  of  the  verse  should 
have  been  translated  in  the  future,  so  as  to  read, 
"All  they  that  seek  thee  shall  rejoice  and  be  glad  in 
thee;  those  that  love  thy  salvation  shall  say  contin- 
ually. The  Lord  be  magnified."  So  read,  the  words  do 
not  express  a  desire,  but  declare  z.fact — namely,  that 
God  causes  all  those  who  seek  him  to  rejoice  and  be 
glad  in  him ;  and  those  who  love  his  salvation,  to  say 
continually,  "the  Lord  be  magnified."  There  is 
thought  to  be  an  emphasis  in  the  words,  thy  salva- 
tion. They  are  thought  to  refer  back  to  Messiah's 
words,  "Lo,  I  come,"  uttered  by  him  after  he  had 
declared  the  utter  insufiiciency  of  all  animal  sacrifices 
to  atone  for  human  guilt.  If  this  be  the  meaning  of 
the  words,  the  salvation  here  intended,  the  salvation 
purchased  for  us  by  Christ,  is  indeed  a  fountain  of 
joy  and  gladness  in  the  hearts  of  all  those  who  love 
and  embrace  it.  They  know  by  happy  experience, 
that  his  blood  is,  indeed, 

"  Of  sin  the  double  cure, 
Saves  from  wrath  and  makes  us  pure." 

And  this  experimental  knowledge  of  God's  great 
salvation  constrains  them  continually  to  say,  "the 
Lord  be  magnified" — let  the  greatness  of  his  mercy 
be  unceasingly  proclaimed,  till  all  men  shall  expe- 
rience its  saving  power. 

Verse  17.  But  I  am  poor  and  needy;  yet  tlie  Lord  thinketh 
upon  me:  thou  art  my  Help  and  my  Deliverer;  make  no 
tarrying,  0  my  God. 

"I  am  poor  and  needy."  Poor  and  needy  indeed 
we  all  are  by  nature;  sin  has  emptied  the  soul  of 
moral  good,  and  filled  it  with  moral  evil.  We  are 
not  sufiicient  of  ourselves  to  think  a  good  thought; 
the  holy  of  holies  once  existing  in  the  soul  has  been 


PSALM   XL.  491 

polluted;  and  tlie  Divine  light  once  shining  there 
extinguished.  Nor  are  we  at  a  stand-still  in  this 
our  deplorable  moral  degradation  by  nature.  Till  a 
Divine  power  arrests  our  descent,  we  are  at  every 
moment  sinking  still  deeper  in  the  mire  of  our  cor- 
ruptions. What  have  we  ?  what  element  of  goodness 
and  happiness  do  we  not  want^  Yet,  poor  and 
needy  as  we  are,  the  Lord  thinketh  upon  us.  And 
this  psalm  shows  us  how  much  his  thoughts  were 
upon  us.  We  here  learn  hoiv  he  brought  us  up  out  of 
the  horrible  pit  of  miry  clay  into  which  our  sins  had 
sunk  us;  brought  us  up  by  giving  his  own  Son  to 
die  for  us.  We  learn,  too,  that  the  Son  was  as  ready 
to  die  as  the  Father  was  to  give  him  up  to  die  for 
our  redemption.  Was  it  the  will  of  the  Father  that 
the  Son  should  die  for  us  men  and  for  our  salvation"? 
The  Son  answers,  "Lo,  I  come:  I  delight  to  do  thy 
will,  O  my  God."  O  what  tender  light  do  these 
things  shed  over  the  words,  "  yet  the  Lord  thinketh 
upon  me"?  Did  he  ever  think  upon  any  other  of  his 
creatures  with  thoughts  of  such  tenderness  and  level 
Never.  When  angels  sinned,  he  cast  them  down  at 
once,  and  reserved  them  in  everlasting  chains  under 
darkness.  Not  one  of  that  once  bright  angelic  host 
has  been  permitted  to  say  to  him,  "  thou  art  my  Help 
and  my  Deliverer."  This  has  been  permitted  to 
none  of  his  sinning  creatures  except  to  man.  Why 
the  Lord  should  have  thought  upon  man  with  such 
distinguishing  tenderness,  we  cannot  tell.  We  should 
none  the  less  receive  the  peculiar  mercy  with  pecu- 
liar gratitude ;  and  pray  God  without  ceasing,  if  he 
has  not  already  done  so,  to  lift  us  out  of  the  pit,  set 
our  feet  upon  the  Kock  of  Ages,  establish  our  goings, 
and  carry  us  on  in  triumph  to  the  end  of  our  course. 


492  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Poor  and  needy  though  we  be,  the  Lord  thinketh 
upon  us,  and  will,  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  came 
to  redeem  us  from  death,  by  dying  himself,  hear 
our  prayers,  whether  for  regenerating  or  sanctifying 
grace;  and,  in  so  doing,  make  no  undue  tarrying. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM   XLL 

This  psalm  is  thought,  not  without  reason,  to  have 
been  composed  by  David  when  he  was  old  and 
stricken  in  years,  and  about  to  go  the  way  of  all  the 
earth.  It  was  his  lot  to  have  had  two  rebellions 
during  his  reign,  each  headed  by  a  son ;  the  first,  by 
Absalom;  the  second  by  Adonijah.  The  account  of 
Adonijah's  rebellion  is  recorded  in  the  first  chapter 
of  the  first  book  of  Kings.  Adonijah  was  older  than 
Solomon,  and  presuming,  no  doubt  on  the  right  of 
primogeniture,  regarded  the  throne  of  Israel  as  his 
birth-right,  ignoring  the  will  of  his  father  in  the  mat- 
ter, and  the  fact  that  Solomon  had  been  divinely  de- 
signated to  the  place.  Absalom,  in  his  rebellion, 
succeeded  in  gaining  over  to  his  side,  Ahithophel, 
David's  prime  minister  and  chief  counsellor  of  state ; 
Adonijah,  in  his  rebellion,  in  gaining  over  Joab,  the 
captain  of  the  hosts  of  Israel,  and  also  Abiathar,  the 
high-priest.  Tidings  of  these  things  came  to  David 
confined  to  his  bed  with  age  and  sickness.  In  the 
midst  of  such  high-handed  and  impious  treachery,  he 
knew  not  whom  to  trust,  nor  which  way  to  turn  him- 
self, except  to  the  Lord.  And  turning  to  him,  he 
cannot  but  hope  that  the  Lord  will  show  him  in  his 


PSALM   XLI.  493 

troubles  the  same  mercy  that  he,  David,  has  shown 

to  others  in  theirs. 

Verse  1.  Blessed  is  lie  that  consideretli  tlie  poor:  the  Lord  -will 
deliver  him  in  time  of  trouble. 

"Blessed  are  the  merciful:  for  they  shall  obtain 

mercy,"  (Matt.  v.  7,)  is  the  thought  pervading  this 

whole  psalm.     It   is   the  basis  upon  which  David 

grounds  his  prayer  for  deliverance.     Not  that  the 

being  kind  to  the  poor  and  needy,  and  relieving  the 

wretched,  enables  one  to  claim  mercy  for  himself  as 

a  thing  of  right  and  merit,  but  only  as  a  thing  of 

Divine  promise.     Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 

shall  he  also  reap:    if  he  soweth   mercy,  he    shall 

reap  mercy.     He  who  has  endeavoured  to  imitate 

his  Father  Almighty  in  showing  kindness  to  others, 

will  not  be  forsaken  of  him  when  his  time  comes  to  be 

tried  and  suffer.     The  Lord  will  preserve  him  when 

he  in  his  turn  is  called  to  mourn.     He  shall  then 

learn  that  his  tender  sympathy  for  the  afflicted  has 

not  been  in  vain:  for 

Verse  2.  The  Lord  will  preserve  him,  and  keep  him  alive;  and 
he  shall  be  blessed  upon  the  earth :  and  thou  wilt  not  deliver 
him  unto  the  will  of  his  enemies. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  there  are  instances  of 
good  men  devoting  themselves,  their  time  and  sub- 
stance, to  relieving  the  necessities  of  the  needy,  who 
have  nevertheless  not  been  long-lived,  nor  escaped 
the  tongue  of  calumny.  Such  instances,  how- 
ever, are  only  exceptional  cases.  The  general  rule 
of  the  Divine  Providence  has  been  to  deal  with 
man  as  he  has  dealt  with  his  fellow-man.  Mercy 
has  been  requited  with  mercy,  liberality  with  pros- 
perity. Indeed  thousands  have  attested  that  their 
prosperity  began  with,  and  was  proportionate  to,  their 
42 


494  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

liberality  to  the  needy  and  the  cause  of  Christian 
benevolence ;  that,  the  more  they  gave,  the  more  they 
were  enabled  to  give;  that,  the  more  they  endea- 
voured to  make  themselves  a  blessing  to  others,  the 
more  they  were  blessed  in  their  secular  undertakings. 
Hence  the  words  of  one  who  had  made  this  subject 
his  special  study  and  investigation,  "that  the  most 
marked  interpositions  and  signal  blessings  of  even 
earthly  prosperity  have  attended  the  practice  of 
Christian  benevolence  in  every  age.  Volumes  might 
be  filled  with  well  attested  instances  of  the  remark- 
able manner  in  which  God  has  honoured  those  who 
in  faith  and  obedience  have  devoted  their  property 
to  him."  Keep  what  you  have,  and  get  all  you  can, 
is  the  motto  of  the  man  of  the  world.  God,  however, 
shows  the  good  man  another  road  to  affluence,  which 
is,  "Honour  the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  the 
first  fruits  of  all  thine  increase ;  so  shall  thy  barns  be 
filled  with  plenty,  and  thy  presses  shall  burst  out 
with  new  wine."  Pro  v.  iii.  8,  9.  "He  that  hath  pity 
upon  the  poor,  lendeth  unto  the  Lord;  and  that 
which  he  hath  given  will  the  Lord  pay  him  again." 
Prov.  xix.  17.  "Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you;  good  measure,  pressed  down,  shaken  together, 
and  running  over,  shall  men  give  into  your  bosom. 
For  with  the  same  measure  that  ye  mete  withal,  it 
shall  be  measured  to  you  again."  Luke  vi.  38.  "The 
liberal  deviseth  liberal  things,  and  by  liberal  things 
he  shall  stand."  Isa.  xxxii.  8.  "The  selfish,  self- 
seeking  man  defeats  his  own  aims:  the  blessing  of  a 
benevolent  God  cannot  continue  to  rest  upon  him. 
His  aims  and  those  of  a  benevolent  God  are  too  an- 
tagonistic for  that.  "There  is  that  scattereth,  and 
yet  increaseth ;  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more 


PSALM    XLI.  495 

than  is  meet,  but  it  tcndeth  to  poverty."  Prov.  xi.  24. 
Nor  is  it  only  in  the  continuance  of  the  good  man's 
life  and  prosperity  that  God  interests  himself 

Verse  3.     The  Lord  -will  strentithen  liim  upon  the  bed  of  hin- 
guishing:  thou  wilt  make  all  his  bed  in  his  sickness. 

He  who  has  ministered  to  the  sick,  shall  not  want 
for  tender  care  when  he  is  sick.  The  Lord  will  be 
in  his  sick-chamber  to  sustain  his  languishing  head, 
and,  like  a  tender  mother,  to  turn  his  bed  and  make 
it  soft  to  give  him  repose.  If  he  do  not  give  him 
physical  strength  to  rise  and  walk  at  once,  he  will  at 
least  strengthen  him  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in 
the  inner  man.  The  kindness  he  has  shown  to 
others  under  similar  circumstances,  the  Lord  will 
show  to  him.  He  will  then  remember  kindnesses 
to  others  which  perhaps  the  sufferer  himself  had  for- 
gotten. In  the  comforts  which  the  Lord  will  pour 
into  the  sufferer's  soul,  not  even  the  cup  of  cold 
water  shall  go  without  its  reward.  The  cheering 
word,  the  kind  look,  and  even  the  kind  wish  too, 
will  all  be  remembered,  and  all  rewarded.  Such  was 
David's  conception  of  the  benevolent  character  of  the 
Lord  our  God ;  and  it  led  him  to  believe  that  with  ten- 
derness only  he  would  deal  with  him  in  his  trouble. 

Verse  4.     I  said,  Lord,  be  merciful  unto  me:  heal  my  soul;  for 
I  have  sinned  against  thee. 

The  me  and  the  m^  of  this  verse  are  thought  to  be 
emphatic,  and  to  be  equivalent  to  saying,  "Lord, 
have  mercy  upon  me,"  as  one  who  has  considered  the 
poor:  "heal  my  soul,"  as  one  who  has  ministered  to 
the  needy.  I,  who  have  been  merciful  to  the  suffer- 
ing, am  now  myself  a  sufferer,  and  ask  of  thee  the 
mercy  thou  hast  promised  the  merciful  in  my  situa- 
tion.    This,  as  already  remarked,  David  asks,  not  as 


496  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

a  thing  of  right,  but  only  as  a  thing  of  Divine  pro- 
mise ;  for,  in  the  same  breath  in  which  he  prays  for 
the  mercy  and  heahng  pledged  to  the  merciful,  he 
confesses,  "I  have  sinned  against  thee."  He  thus 
teaches  us,  that  even  when  asking  blessings,  a  claim 
to  which  we  have  acquired  by  having  fulfilled  the 
conditions  upon  which  God  has  graciously  promised 
to  grant  them,  we  should  still  urge  our  suit  with  an 
humble  confession  of  the  sins  that  render  us  alto- 
gether unworthy  of  what  we  ask.  When  David's 
enemies  were  suffering,  he  tells  us  elsewhere  how  he 
felt  and  acted.  "As  for  me,"  says  he,  "when  they 
were  sick,  my  clothing  was  sackcloth:  I  humbled  my 
soul  with  fasting;  and  my  prayer  returned  into  mine 
own  bosom.  I  behaved  myself  as  if  he  had  been  my 
friend,  or  brother:  I  bowed  down  heavily,  as  one  that 
mourneth  for  his  mother."  Ps.  xxxv.  13,  14.  But 
with  what  feelings  did  David's  enemies  regard  him, 
when  he  was  sick  and  in  trouble '?    He  answers : 

Verse  5.     Mine  enemies  speak  evil  of  me :  Wlicn  shall  he  die, 
and  his  name  perish? 

Here,  certainly,  is  a  striking  contrast  between 
David  and  his  enemies.  When  they  were  in  trouble, 
he  was  full  of  tender  sympathy  for  them:  when  he  is 
in  trouble,  they  are  full  of  spite  and  malice  against 
him.  He  was  merciful  to  them:  they  are  merciless 
to  him;  wish  him  dead,  and  his  very  name  oblite- 
rated from  the  records  of  earth.  He  prayed  for 
them:  they  speak  only  evil  of  him.  We  may  sup- 
pose these  words  to  express  the  feelings  of  Adonijah 
and  his  partizans  in  treason,  while  impatiently  wait- 
ing David's  death,  as  an  event  that  would  enable 
them  to  set  Solomon  aside  as  his  successor  to  the 
throne,  and  accomplish  their  own  ambitious  designs. 


PSALM    XLI.  497 

The  words  of  this  verse  may  also  be  applied  to  the 
enemies  of  the  Son  of  David.  His  enemies,  too, 
spake  only  evil  of  him,  wishing  him  dead,  and  that 
his  very  name  might  perish;  and  in  return  for  his 
prayers,  they  loaded  him  with  execrations. 

Verse  6.  And  if  he  come  to  see  me,  he  speaketh  vanity:  his 
heart  gathereth  iniquity  to  itself;  when  he  goeth  abroad,  he 
telleth  it. 

If,  at  any  time,  Adonijah  visited  his  aged  and 
afflicted  father,  as  if  to  condole  with  him,  it  was 
all  vanity,  all  pretence:  his  shoAV  of  love  and  filial 
affection  was  all  feigned;  there  was  no  unison  be- 
tween his  words  and  the  feelings  of  his  heart;  his 
heart  was  all  the  while  gathering  iniquity,  that  is, 
material  for  detraction,  that  when  he  went  abroad,  he 
might  publish  it  to  his  fellow-conspirators.  All  this 
David  at  last  saw  to  be  true  of  his  son  Adonijah,  that 
he  had  visited  him  in  his  affliction,  only  to  act  the 
spy  upon  him.  And  what  David  relates  as  his  expe- 
rience, was  also  the  experience  of  his  Divine  Son. 
His  enemies,  too,  did  all  they  could  to  entangle  him 
in  his  talk:  they  watched  him,  and  sent  forth  spies, 
who  should  feign  themselves  just  men,  that  they 
might  take  hold  of  his  words,  and  so  deliver  him  into 
the  power  and  authority  of  the  Roman  governor. 
Luke  XX.  20.  You  recollect  how  he  escaped  the 
snare  of  the  Roman  coin,  by  answering  them,  "  Ren- 
der unto  Csesar  the  things  which  are  Csesar's;  and 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's."  Judas  also,  at 
last,  watched  his  words,  with  the  same  eager  desire 
to  turn  them  to  his  disadvantage  abroad. 

Verse  7.  All  that  hate  me,  whisper  together  against  me: 
against  me  do  they  devise  my  hurt. 

It  was  not  alone  against  the  outspoken  calumnies 
42* 


498  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

of  Aclonijah  and  his  fellow  conspirators  that  David  had 
to  contend:  they  plotted  against  him  secretly  also. 
They  uttered  in  whispers  what  they  dared  not  utter 
aloud.  Of  all  enemies  in  the  world,  a  whispering 
enemy  is  most  to  be  dreaded.  Subtle  as  the  serpent, 
he  hisses  out  his  poison  so  silently,  that,  ere  he  is 
aware  of  danger,  his  victim  is  ruined.  We  do  one 
of  the  serpent  kind  wrong  in  comparing  it  to  the  whis- 
perer— we  mean  the  rattlesnake — it  always  sounds 
its  rattles  before  injecting  its  poison.  The  whisperer, 
on  the  contrary,  gives  us  no  warning  of  his  presence, 
nor  of  the  work  in  which  he  is  engaged.  It  was  in 
this  silent  way  that  their  enemies  sought  to  ruin  both 
David  and  the  Son  of  David. 

Verse  8.     An  evil  disease,  say  they,  cleaveth  fast  unto  liim:  and 
now  that  he  lieth,  he  shall  rise  up  no  more. 

Yes,  "  an  evil  disease" — and  they  mean,  by  an  evil 
disease,  not  only  a  mortal  disease,  but  a  Divine  judg- 
ment sent  upon  him  in  wrath,  for  his  destruction, 
and  not  a  fatherly  chastening  of  him  for  his  good. 
Mahciously  supposing  him  thus  divinely  afflicted  for 
his  sins,  they  exult  in  the  thought  that  he  will  never 
rise  from  his  bed  again;  that  he  will  soon  be  out  of 
their  way,  and  the  realization  of  their  heart's  desire. 
It  is  thus  that  the  wicked  often  turn  the  Divine 
chastenings  of  the  righteous,  chastenings  designed 
only  for  their  good,  into  proofs  that  they  are  sinners 
above  all  others,  because  they  suffer  such  things.  It 
was  in  this  way  that  the  Jews,  in  their  malice,  con- 
strued the  sufferings  of  Christ. 

Verse  9.     Yea,  mine  own  familiar  fiiend,  in  whom  I  trusted, 
which  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me. 

This  verse  was  realized  in  the  history  of  David, 
first,  in  Ahithophel,  his  chief  counsellor  of  state; 


PSALM   XLI.  499 

then  in  Joab,  the  captain  of  his  hosts ;  and  also  in 
Abiathar,  the  high  priest— with  each  of  whom  he 
was,  from  their  relations  to  him,  necessarily  on  terms 
of  the  utmost  intimacy  and  confidence,  but  each  of 
whom  betrayed  him.  The  verse  was  realized  also  in 
the  history  of  Christ,  when  Judas  betrayed  him — 
although  our  Lord,  in  quoting  the  verse  as  applica- 
ble to  himself  and  Judas,  only  says,  "He  that  eateth 
bread  with  me,  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me," 
(John  xiii.  18,)  leaving  out  the  words  "mine  own 
familiar  friend,"  as  inapplicable  to  Judas,  and  the 
words  "in  whom  I  trusted,"  as  inapplicable  to  him- 
self. Our  Lord  never  trusted  in  Judas:  he  knew 
from  the  beginning  that  Judas  was  not  a  friend,  but 
a  devil,  John  vi.  70,  and  would  betray  him.  John 
vi.  6L  But  applied,  as  it  may  be  in  all  its  parts,  to 
David,  this  verse  shows  that  his  situation  was  deplora- 
ble indeed.  He  cannot,  however,  but  believe  that 
the  Lord  will  deliver  him  out  of  it ;  for  resuming 
and  repeating  the  first  part  of  the  prayer  begun  in 
the  fourth  verse,  he  adds : 

Verse  10.     But  tliou,  0  Lord,  be  merciful  unto  me,  and  raise 
me  up,  that  I  may  requite  them. 

The  requital  here  intended  cannot  mean  personal 
revenge — for  of  any  such  feeling  toward  his  enemies 
no  mere  man  was  ever  more  free  than  David  was. 
The  requital,  then,  which  he  prays  that  he  may  be 
raised  up  to  make  his  enemies,  must  mean  his  being 
enabled  to  defeat  all  the  plans  of  his  enemies  to  sub- 
vert his  kingdom  by  transferring  the  crown  from 
Solomon  to  Adonijah.  And  the  sequel  shows  that 
his  prayer  to  be  enabled  thus  to  requite  his  enemies 
was  answered;  for,  on  hearing  of  the  rebellion  of 


600  LECTURES  ON  THE  TSALMS. 

Adonijah,  he  rallied  from  the  low  and  prostrated 
condition  in  which  he  seemed  to  be  fast  sinking  into 
the  arms  of  death,  and  survived  long  enough  to  see 
Solomon  consecrated,  crowned,  and  proclaimed  king 
of  Israel.  This,  of  course,  brought  shame  and  con- 
fusion upon  all  those  who  had  been  labouring  to 
defeat  it. 

Verse  11.     By  this  I  know  that   thou  favourest   me,  because 
mine  enemy  doth  not  triumph  over  me. 

It  is  even  so.  When  a  man's  ways  please  the 
Lord,  he  maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace 
with  him.  Prov.  xvi.  7.  This  assurance  David  has 
received,  that  his  ways  have  pleased  the  Lord.  For- 
midable as  the  conspiracy  was  that  had  been  formed 
against  his  throne  and  successor,  God  inspired  him 
with  a  few  last  words  so  potent  as  to  scatter  the 
whole  to  the  winds,  and  inaugurate  the  most  peace- 
ful and  glorious  reign  that  distinguishes  the  history 
of  Israel — the  reign  of  Solomon.  May  God,  as  our 
last  hour  approaches,  give  us  the  same  glorious  assu- 
rance, that  none  of  our  enemies,  whether  visible  or 
invisible,  have  triumphed  over  us,  and  that  he  has 
endowed  us  with  a  kingdom  that  cannot  be  sub- 
verted. 

Verse  12.     And  as  for  me,  thou  upholdest  mc  in  mine  integrity, 
and  settest  me  before  thy  face  for  ever. 

What  David  means  here  by  his  integrity,  was  his 
blameless  and  charitable  life ;  not  so  blameless  and 
charitable,  however,  that  he  does  not  confess,  "  I  have 
sinned  against  thee."  Strange !  that  for  an  integrity 
so  imperfect — and  when,  too,  that  integrity  itself  is 
inspired  by  his  own  blessed  Spirit — strange  that  God 


PSALM   XLI.  501 

should  set  one  continually  before  his  flice  as  an  ob- 
ject of  his  unceasing  protection,  love,  and  care!  Yet 
so  it  is!  Such  is  his  mercy  toward  the  merciful. 
So  greatly  doth  he  love  even  imperfect  goodness  in 
his  creatures !  "  A  bruised  reed  will  he  not  break, 
and  smoking  flax  will  he  not  quench,  till  he  bring 
forth  judgment  unto  victory."  Matt.  xii.  20.  God 
grant  that  at  our  last  review  of  life,  conscience  may 
bear  as  favourable  testimony  in  our  cases  as  it  bore 
in  David's — that  we  were  the  friends  of  the  poor  and 
needy,  and  did  good  unto  all  men  as  we  had  oppor- 
tunity. We  shall  then  learn  that  he  who  did  most 
for  others,  did  most  for  himself;  and  that  he  who 
did  nothing  for  others,  did  nothing  for  himself. 

Verse  13.     Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  from  everlasting, 
and  to  everlasting.     Amen,  and  Amen. 

A  most  suitable  doxology  with  which  to  close  a 
psalm  setting  forth  in  such  glowing  colours  the  mercy 
of  God  to  those  showing  mercy  to  others,  and  endea- 
vouring to  serve  him  in  holiness  and  purcness  of 
living.  If  such  be  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel  from  everlasting,  and  to  everlasting,  who  would 
not  join  in  the  anthem,  and  add  thereto  its  fervid 
Amen,  and  Amen'?  May  the  spirit  of  this  psalm — 
its  spirit  of  benevolence,  faith,  and  holy  fear — ^fiU  the 
hearts  of  us  all.  It  is  none  other  than  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  of  him  who  went  about  doing  good,  and  who 
could  not  doom  even  implacable  enemies  to  destruc- 
tion, without,  in  the  same  breath,  weeping  over 
them. 


502  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALMS  XLII.  and  XLIII. 

To  be  cut  off  from  communion  with  God  in  the  ser- 
vices of  his  sanctuary,  was  regarded  by  every  devout 
Israelite  as  an  unmistakable  token  of  the  Divine  dis- 
pleasure, and  a  great  calamity.  This  Avas  David's 
situation  when  he  composed  these  two  psalms. 
From  his  beloved  sanctuary,  with  its  sensible  com- 
munion with  God  in  its  sacrifices  and  oracular  re- 
sponses, he  was  now  an  exile,  fleeing  in  the  wilder- 
ness beyond  Jordan  before  his  rebellious  Absalom. 
He  might  have  kept  up  communion  with  God  by 
taking  the  ark  of  the  covenant  with  him  in  his 
flight;  but  when  the  priests  and  the  Levites  brought 
it  forth,  to  bear  it  with  them,  he  said  to  Zadoc, 
"  Carry  back  the  ark  of  God  into  the  city ;  if  I  shall 
find  favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  he  will  bring  me 
again,  and  show  me  both  it  and  his  habitation:  but 
if  he  thus  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  thee;  behold, 
here  am  I,  let  him  do  to  me  as  seemeth  good  unto 
him."  2  Sam.  xv.  26,  27.  Nevertheless,  David's 
heart,  in  his  exile,  was  still  drawn  towards  the 
sacred  place  where  the  presence  of  the  ark  pro- 
claimed the  peculiar  presence  of  God;  hence  his 
words, 

Verses  1,  2.  As  tlie  hart  panteth  aftei-  tlie  wator-brooks,  so 
pantetli  my  soul  after  thee,  0  God.  My  soul  tliirsteth  for 
(xod,  for  the  livmg  God:  when  shall  I  come  and  appear 
before  God? 


No  perishing  hind,  or  deer,  ever  longed  more 
earnestly  to  reach  the  cooling  streams  where  it  could 
quench  its  thirst,  than  David  longed  to  stand  in  the 


PSALM    XLII.  503 

presence  of  God  on  Mount  Zion.  It  may  seem 
strange  to  us,  who  know  that  in  every  place  incense 
can  be  ofterecl  unto  his  name  and  a  pure  oifering, 
(Mai.  i.  11,)  that  so  much  importance  should  have 
been  attached  by  the,  Israelite  to  worshipping  God 
in  his  sanctuary.  It  would  not,  however,  seem 
strange  to  us,  if  we  reflected  that  in  the  sanctuary 
alone  the  Israelite  could  offer  up  the  bleeding  victim, 
whose  blood  told  him  of  pardon,  peace,  and  accept- 
ance with  God — that  in  the  sanctuary  alone  he  could 
lay  his  sins  upon  the  head  of  the  scape-goat,  and 
have  them  borne  away  (Lev.  xvi.  21,  22) — that  it 
was  in  the  sanctuary  alone  that  he  could  consult  God 
in  cases  of  difficulty,  and  have  them  solved  by  an 
answer  from  the  oracle  in  the  holy  of  holies.  In  this 
respect,  the  Levitical  form  of  religion  was  peculiar; 
it  had  but  one  place  where  God  could  be  duly  wor- 
shipped, and  all  the  blessings  promised  his  people 
obtained.  Consequently,  to  be  excluded  by  the  pro- 
vidence of  God  from  that  one  place,  seemed  to  the 
Israelite  equivalent  to  a  Divine  excommunication. 
This  accounts  for  David's  vehement  longing  to  re- 
turn to  Jerusalem,  and  Zion.  He  could  think  of 
himself  as  being  inwardly  near  to  God,  only  as  he 
was  outwardly  near  to  him.  It  is  otherwise  with  us. 
Since  the  great  Sacrifice  has  been  offered,  and  his 
atonement  accepted,  God's  sanctuary  is  everywhere; 
and  nothing  but  our  sins  can  exclude  us  from  com- 
munion with  him  in  any  place  in  which  we  may  be. 
And  when  our  sins  have  excluded  us  from  spiritual 
communion  with  him,  we  should  pant  as  vehemently 
after  restoration  to  that  communion,  as  David  to  be 
restored  to  his  special  local  presence  in  his  sanc- 
tuary on  Mount  Zion. 


504  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Verse  3.  My  tears  liave  been  my  meat  day  and  niglit,  while 
they  continually  say  unto  me,  "Where  is  thy  God? 

David's  grief  was  so  intense  that  it  took  away  the 
desire  for  food.  He  wept,  and  ate  not.  He  knew 
that  he  was  deservedly  suffering  the  hidings  of  the 
Divine  favour  and  the  consciousness  of  this  made  the 
unceasing  taunt,  "Where  is  thy  God?'  all  the  harder 
to  bear.  The  taunt  struck  upon  a  wounded  spirit, 
and  the  words,  as  insinuating  Divine  desertion, 
found  too  faithful  an  echo  in  the  fears  of  his 
heart.  How  often  the  adversary  thus  deals  with  the 
believing  soul  when  God  is  visiting  it  for  its  sins  to 
bring  it  to  repentance.  "Ah!"  he  sneeringly  de- 
mands, "where  now  is  thy  God"?  where  now  is  the 
God  in  whom  you  always  trusted  as  a  very  present 
help  in  time  of  trouble?  Your  trust  was  a  delusion; 
there  never  were  any  such  endearing  relations  be- 
tween you  and  him  as  you  imagined."  These  infer- 
nal suggestions  to  the  believing  soul  under  the 
hidings  of  God's  favour  on  account  of  its  sins,  are 
fiery  darts  indeed!  They  are  designed  to  drive  the 
contrite  to  despair,  and  we  deal  with  despairing 
thoughts  in  the  right  way  then,  only  when  we  treat 
them  as  Satanic  suggestions.  Mercy's  cry  to  the 
soul  truly  grieving  over  its  sins  is,  "Hope  on,  hope 
ever." 

Verse  4.  When  I  remember  these  things  I  pour  out  my  soul  in 
me :  for  I  had  gone  with  the  multitude  to  the  house  of  God, 
with  the  voice  of  joy  and  praise,  with  a  multitude  that  kept 
holy  day. 

The  joys  of  the  past  add  pungency  to  the  sorrows 
of  the  present.  The  contrast  between  David's  for 
mer  and  present  condition  melts  his  soul  within  him. 
How  blest  his  former,  how  miserable   his  present 


PSALM  XLir.  605 

state!  and  how  the  recollection  swells  the  fountain 
of  his  grief,  already  overflowing  freely !  How  differ- 
ent his  situation  in  the  wilderness,  cut  off  from  com- 
munion with  God,  and  mocked  by  enemies,  from 
what  it  was  when  he  went  up  to  the  house  of  God 
with  a  multitude  to  keep  holy  day,  with  the  voice  of 
joy  and  praise!  There  was  everything  to  fill  the 
heart  with  hope  and  joy — here^  there  was  everything 
to  fill  it  with  sorrow  and  misgivings.  How  sad,  and 
yet  how  frequent,  are  these  contrasts  in  the  believer's 
experience!     How  often  is  he  constrained  to  say, 

"  Where  is  the  blessedness  I  knew 

When  first  I  saw  the  Lord  ? 
Where  is  the  roul  refreshing  view 

Of  Jesus  and  his  word  ? 
What  peaceful  hours  T  then  enjoyed, 

How  sweet  their  memory  still : 
But  71010  I  feel  an  aching  void 

The  world  can  never  fill." 

Verse  5.  Why  art  tliou  cast  down,  0  my  soul?  and  why  art 
thou  disquieted  within  me?  Hope  thou  in  God,  for  I  shall 
yet  priiise  him  for  the  help  of  his  countenance. 

The  thought  of  this  verse  is, 

"  Judge  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sense, 
But  trust  him  for  his  grace: 
Behind  a  frowning  providence 
He  hides  a  smiling  face." 

It  is  faith,  still  strong  in  God,  that  here  demands 
of  the  soul,  "Why  art  thou  cast  down]  why  art  thou 
disquieted  within  me'?"  as  if  it  had  no  good  reason  for 
its  fears.  The  demand  is  a  reproof  oi  the  soul  for  its 
despondency.  Governed  by  faith,  the  believer  utters 
only  the  language  of  hope,  and  wears  the  same  calm, 
self-possessed  look  in  the  storm  as  in  the  sunshine. 
But  yielding  to  feeling,  the  moment  clouds  and 
darkness  gather  around  him,  he  speaks  as  if  God 
had  forgotten  him,  ceased  to  care  for  him,  and  there 
43 


506  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

were  an  impassable  gulf  between  him  and  the  hea- 
ven of  his  hopes.  And  where  is  the  earnest  believer 
who  has  not  in  times  of  trouble  been  more  or  less 
conscious  of  this  desponding  state  of  feeling,  and 
reproved  himself  for  it  as  disparaging  to  the  Divine 
goodness]  Duly  considering  what  God  is  in  him- 
self, what  he  has  promised  us,  and  what  he  has  done 
for  us,  would  soon  lead  the  most  desponding  of  us  to 
say  to  our  souls.  Why  art  thou  cast  down'?  why  art 
thou  disquieted'?  hope  thou  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet 
praise  him  for  his  help. 

Verse  6.  0  my  Grod,  my  soul  is  cast  down  witliin  me :  tlierefore 
will  I  remember  thee  from  the  land  of  Jordan,  and  of  the 
Hermonites,  from  the  hill  Mizar. 

Persecuted,  but  not  forsaken ;  perplexed,  but  not 
in  despair,  David  still  encourages  himself  in  the 
Lord.  Though  his  soul  is  still  cast  down  within  him, 
notwithstanding  his  expostulations  with  it  for  its 
fears,  he  is  looking  in  the  right  direction  for  help. 
He  ]3romises  to  remember  God  in  every  place  to 
which  his  feet  may  bear  him,  in  fleeing  before  his 
rebelhous  son.  If  he  cannot  do  what  he  would,  meet 
Him  face  to  face  in  his  sanctuary,  he  will  do  what  he 
can,  still  remember  him.  Alas,  how  many  cease  even 
to  remember  God,  when  they  can  no  longer  meet 
him  in  the  regular  services  of  his  house ! 

Verse  7.  Deep  calleth  unto  deep  at  the  noise  of  thy  water- 
spouts :  all  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone  over  me. 

Water-spouts  seldom  occur  singly,  but  generally 
in  pairs,  the  whirlwind  that  forms  the  spout  in  the 
clouds,  forcing  up  a  second  from  the  body  of  waters 
beneath,  that  meets  the  descending  spout  in  the  air, 
when  both  descend  together  with  appalling  force  and 
noise  into  the  waters  below,  and  thus  the  roar  and 


PSALM    XLII.  607 

din  of  the  ocean  below  calleth  back  to  the  roar  and 
din  of  the  clouds  above — "Deep"  literally  "calleth 
unto  deep  at  the  noise  of  God's  water-spouts."  To 
this  turmoil  in  the  elements  David  compares  the  tur- 
moil in  his  feelings  and  fortunes.  Troubles  were 
descending  upon  him  from  above,  and  rising  up 
from  beneath;  his  son  had  risen  up  against  him,  and 
the  chastening  hand  of  God  also  was  upon  him ;  "  all 
thy  waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone  over  me."  David 
seems  to  himself  like  a  shipwrecked  sailor  bufteted 
about  by  waves.  Trouble  follows  trouble,  as  wave 
follows  wave  in  a  storm  at  sea.  Others  beside  David 
have  had  sorrows  come  upon  them  like  meeting 
water-spouts,  and  been  buffeted  by  sorrows,  like  as 
angry  billows  buffet  one  in  a  storm.  This  has  been 
the  experience  of  many  a  believer,  eminent  both  for 
piety  and  usefulness.  Distressing,  however,  as  the 
verse  now  explained  depicts  David's  condition,  he  is 
not  in  despair,  for  he  adds. 

Verse  8.  Yet  the  Lord  will  command  his  loving-kindness  in  the 
day-time,  and  in  the  night  his  song  shall  be  with  me,  and  my 
prayer  unto  the  Grod  of  my  life. 

How  strange  and  mysterious  a  thing  is  Divine 
faith ! — how  inextinguishable  when  it  has  once  been 
lighted  up  in  the  heart !  Many  waters  cannot  quench 
it,  nor  floods  drown  it.  It  still  lives  even  a  vigorous 
life,  while  God  himself  is  filling  the  heart  with  griefs. 
Such  is  the  teaching  of  David's  words  here.  He 
knew  that  he  was  suffering  under  the  hand  of  God — 
still  he  adds,  "  the  Lord  will  command  his  loving- 
kindness."  However  fast  and  heavily  the  blows  fell 
upon  him,  they  could  not  for  a  moment  shake  his 
confidence  in  the  Divine  mercy.     God's  loving-kind- 


508  LECTURES   ON   HIE   PSALMS. 

ness  would  be  his  in  the  day-time,  and  he  would  also 
furnish  him.  with  an  occasion  for  a  song  in  tlie  night. 
Nor  would  the  Lord  put  it  into  his  heart  only  to 
sing,  but  also  to  pray  unto  him  as  the  God  of  his 
life,  as  the  God  who  had  hitherto  preserved  him,  and 
would  still  keep  him  alive  with  covenant  fidelity. 
In  all  the  afflictions  wherewith  he  afflicts  them,  God 
never  fails  to  give  his  people  a  heart  to  sing  and 
pray.  Paul  and  Silas  had  many  stripes  laid  upon 
them,  and  were  thrust  into  the  inner  prison,  and  had 
their  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks;  but  at  midnight 
they  prayed,  and  sang  praises  unto  God.  Acts  xvi. 
23-25. 

Verses  9,  10.  I  will  say  unto  God  my  Kock,  Why  hast  thou 
forgotten  me  ?  why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression 
of  the  enemy  ?  As  with  a  sword  in  my  bones,  mine  enemies 
reproach  me;  while  they  say  daily  unto  me,  Where  is  thy 
God? 

David  still  affirms  God  to  be  his  Rock,  his  confi- 
dence; we  therefore  understand  his  words,  "Why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me] — why  go  I  mourning'?"  not 
as  words  of  murmuring  impatience,  but  as  words  of 
hope  that  God,  being  his  Hock,  would  deliver  him. 
It  is  the  consciousness  of  the  endearing  relations 
subsisting  between  him  and  God,  that  suggests  the 
whys.  They  are  the  whys  of  a  loving  child,  who 
knows  that  his  Father  loves  him,  asking  that  Father 
why  he  delays  granting  him  what  he  has  it  in  his 
heart  to  grant.  His  enemies  ridiculing  this  filial 
and  paternal  relation  between  him  and  his  God,  was 
like  a  sword  in  David's  bones.  "  Where  now  is  thy 
Godf  they  demand.  "He  has  forsaken  you;  he 
has  cast  you  ofi" — your  suff'erings  prove  it.  He  is  not 
chastening  you  in  love,  but  punishing  you  in  wrath." 


PSALM    XLIII.  509 

All  this  is  implied  in  the  words,  "where  now  is  thy 
God'?"  How  often  do  Satan  and  our  unbelieving 
heart  taunt  us  in  the  same  way  when  we  are  in 
trouble,  suggesting  to  our  anxious  minds  the  fearful 
thought  that  God  has  forsaken  us,  because  he  is 
afflicting  us. 

Verse  11.  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  0  my  soul?  and  why  art 
thou  disquieted  within  me?  Hope  thou  in  God:  for  I  shall 
yet  praise  him,  who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance,  and 
my  God. 

"The  health  of  my  countenance."  He  who,  by 
restoring  unto  me  the  joy  of  his  salvation,  will  light 
up  my  hitherto  dejection-clouded  face  with  the  light 
of  joy  and  peace.  "And  my  God" — this  he  says  in 
answer  to  the  taunt,  "where  is  thy  God'?"  and  it  is 
equivalent  to  saying  that  he  would  soon  be  to  him 
everything  that  he  had  ever  been,  and  everything 
that  he  had  ever  said  he  would  be.  How  rapid  in 
this  psalm  have  been  the  transitions  of  faith  and 
fear,  hope  and  despondency!  It  is,  however,  the 
voice  of  triumphant  faith  alone  with  which  it  closes, 
"Hope  thou  in  God,  O  my  soul;  for  I  shall  praise 
him."  Happy  triumph  of  faith  over  all  the  trem- 
bling fears  of  the  flesh,  and  the  malicious  reproaches 
of  enemies!  May  our  faith  triumph  over  all  our 
fears  and  foes,  as  David's  triumphed  over  his. 

PSALM  XLIII. 

We  now  pass  on  to  explain  the  forty-third  psalm, 
which  so  closely  resembles  the  forty-second,  that 
eminent  critics  have  held  that  the  two  originally 
constituted  but  one.  Though  evidently  written  on 
the  same  occasion,  the  rebellion  of  Absalom,  the 
43* 


510  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

more  common  opinion  is,  that  the  forty-third  was 
originally  distinct  and  complete  by  itself.  Its  first 
verse  reads, 

Verse  1.  Judge  me,  0  Grod,  and  plead  my  cause  against  an 
ungodly  nation:  0  deliver  me  from  the  deceitful  and  unjust 
man. 

This  psalm  differs  from  the  last  in  at  least  two 
observable  particulars.  David  there  speaks,  not  of 
the  number  of  his  enemies,  nor  of  their  distinguish- 
ing character,  except  that  they  were  taunting  ene- 
mies, constantly  ringing  in  his  ears  the  tormenting 
demand,  "Where  is  thy  God?"  It  is  not  improbable 
that  during  the  time  in  which  the  scene  of  the  forty- 
second  psalm  is  laid,  cursing  and  upbraiding  Shimeis 
were  crossing  David's  path  at  every  turn  in  his  wan- 
derings. 2  Sam.  xvi.  5—13.  Here,  however,  he  speaks 
not  of  a  few  individuals,  but  of  an  ungodly  nation, 
being  engaged  in  the  strife  against  him,  and  prays 
specially  to  be  delivered  from  the  deceitful  and  un- 
just man.  This  deceitful  and  unjust  man  may  have 
been  either  Absalom  or  Ahithophel,  for  both  had 
deceived  and  treated  David  with  great  injustice. 
This  explanation  would  seem  to  justify  the  belief 
that  the  forty-second  psalm  was  composed  at  the 
beginning  of  the  rebellion,  when  David  may  have 
thought  his  insurgent  subjects  few  in  number,  and 
this  forty-third  when,  to  his  amazement,  he  learned 
that  nearly  all  Israel,  under  the  lead  of  Absalom  and 
Ahithophel,  were  in  arms  against  him.  He  accord- 
ingly here  prays  to  be  delivered,  not  from  a  few 
taunting  and  cursing  enemies  immediately  around 
him,  but  from  a  nation  of  merciless  foes.  "Judge 
me,  O  God,  and  plead  my  cause  against  an  ungodly 


PSALM   XLIII.  511 

nation,"  is  therefore  praying  God  to  interpose  be- 
tween him  and  his  rebelHous  subjects,  and,  by 
restoring  him  to  his  throne,  prove  to  them  that  he, 
as  their  king,  had  done  them  no  wrong. 

Verse  2.  For  thou  art  the  God  of  my  strength :  wl\y  dost^  thou 
cast  me  off?  why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression  of 
the  enemy? 
The  Lord  being  the  God  of  his  strength,  or,  as 
the  words  have  been  rendered,  his  Guardian-God, 
David  puts  these  questions  as  in  the  ninth  verse  of 
the  last  psalm,  as  if  there  were  an  inconsistency 
between  the  Lord's  treatment  of  him  and  his  rela- 
tions to  him.  Being  his  Guardian-God,  and  so  by 
covenant  engagement,  David  speaks  as  if  he  could 
both  expect  and  claim  his  protection.  This  much 
the  questions,  "Why  dost  thou  cast  me  offf  "why 
go  I  mourning]"  seem  to  imply;  and  also  wonder 
that  his  Guardian-God  docs  not  at  once  come  to  his 
relief.  The  questions,  then,  do  not  indicate  absence 
of  faith,  but  its  presence  in  the  heart  in  active,  yet 
longing  exercise. 

Verse  3.  0  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth:  let  them  lead  me; 
let  them  bring  me  unto  thy  holy  hill,  and  to  thy  taber- 
nacles. 

Light  here  means  favour;  and  ^rwf/i,  fidelity  in  the 
keeping  of  one's  promises.  David's  words  then, 
"Send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth:  let  them  lead 
me;  let  them  bring  me,"  is  a  prayer  that  God  would 
show  him  the  favour  j^ledged  to  him  in  his  promises, 
and  manifest  that  favour  in  act,  in  bringing  him 
again  to  meet  him  in  his  sanctuary.  And  we,  when 
we  are  in  spiritual  exile,  away  from  God  in  our 
thoughts  and  feelings,  cannot  pray  him  too  soon,  nor 


612  LECTURES   OX   THE   PSALMS. 

too  earnestly,  nor  too  incessantly,  to  bring  us  into  his 
presence  again,  by  restoring  us  the  joy  of  his  salva- 
tion, and  upholding  us  with  his  free  Spirit.  Such 
restoring  and  upholding  is  the  only  thing  that  can 
prove  to  us  that  our  exile  is  not  an  eternal  one. 

Verse  4.  Then  will  I  go  unto  the  altar  of  God,  unto  God  my 
exceeding  joy;  yea,  upon  the  harp  will  I  praise  thee,  0  God, 
my  God. 

Sacrifices  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  should  always 
follow  signal  mercies.  And  when  God  becomes  again 
the  life  and  joy  of  our  hearts,  by  visiting  us  with  the 
light  of  his  favour,  we  should  be  willing  to  proclaim 
the  fact  in  his  house,  and  before  the  world.  We 
should  be  prepared  to  say,  with  David,  "Yea,  upon 
the  harp  will  I  praise  thee,  O  God,  my  God."  It  is 
not  enough  for  David  to  call  his  friend  and  protector 
God,  the  one  perfect  Being,  but  he  must  repeat  the 
name  with  the  possessive  pronoun  my^  before  it — 
"my  God" — thus  intimating  that  this  one  perfect 
Being,  acknowledged  by  the  wiser  portion  of  the 
heathen  themselves  to  be  supreme,  was  his  God  in  a 
peculiar  and  endearing  sense.  O  what  a  glorious 
moment  is  that  in  the  moral  history  of  the  soul, 
when,  all  its  doubts  having  been  removed,  it  can 
exclaim,  "My  Lord  and  my  God!"  John  xx.  28; 
that  moment,  when,  the  Divine  Spirit  having  inspired 
the  feeling,  the  soul  can  say,  "My  beloved  is  mine, 
and  I  am  his."  Cant.  ii.  16. 

Verse  5.  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  0  my  soul?  and  why  art 
thou  disquieted  within  me?  Hope  in  God;  for  I  shall  yet 
praise  him,  who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance,  and  my 
God. 

Thus  this  psalm  ends,  word  for  word,  as  the  last 

ended — faith  still  reproving  the  flesh  for  its  fears,  the 


PSALM   XLIII.  513 

heart  for  its  misgivings,  and  bidding  the  soul  to  hope 
in  God,  as  one  from  whom  deliverance  was  sure  to 
come.  The  sequel  shows  that  David's  faith  was  not 
disappointed.  The  impious  and  unnatural  rebellion, 
before  whose  fury  he  was  fleeing  when  he  wrote  this 
and  the  preceding  psalm,  was  speedily  suppressed, 
and  he  restored  to  his  throne,  and  to  the  sanctuary- 
services,  whose  loss  he  felt  so  keenly,  and  laments  so 
pathetically.  2  Sam.  xix.  9,  10,  &c.  His  faith  had 
not  apprehended  more  than  it  had  realized.  All  that 
he  had  longed  and  prayed  for  in  his  exile,  God  had 
granted  to  him  in  his  restoration.  May  such  be  the 
final  result  of  all  our  contests  with  evil  within  us 
and  around  us !  And  if  truly  penitent  for  our  sins, 
while  looking  to  Christ  to  deliver  and  cleanse  us  from 
them,  let  us  address  our  souls — however  sorely  our 
hearts  may  at  times  misgive  us — let  each  of  us  still 
address  our  soul,  as  David  addressed  his,  "Hope  thou 
in  God;  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him,  who  is  the  health 
of  my  countenance,  and  my  God."  Who  does  not  see 
in  this  psalm  the  contest  between  faith  and  fear,  the 
spirit  and  the  flesh,  so  graphically  described  by  St. 
Paul,  the  flesh  crying  out  continually,  "O  wretched 
man  that  I  am!  who  shall  deliver  mel"  and  the 
spirit  as  continually  rejoining,  "  Thanks  be  to  God, 
which  giveth  us  the  victory,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 


514  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XLIV. 

The  historical  occasion  of  this  psalm  was  probably 
the  same  as  that  of  the  sixtieth.  The  caption  of  that 
psalm  reads,  "To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Shushan- 
eduth,  Michtam  of  David,  to  teach;  when  he  strove 
with  Aram-naharaim  and  with  Aram-zobah,  when 
Joab  returned,  and  smote  of  Edom  in  the  valley 
of  Salt  twelve  thousand."  The  Edomites,  as  the 
descendants  of  Esau,  owed  the  Israelites,  as  the 
descendants  of  Jacob,  an  implacable  grudge.  They 
could  not  but  remember  with  resentment  how  Jacob 
inveigled  his  brother  Esau  out  of  his  birthright,  as 
the  first-born.  Gen.  xxvii.  They  therefore  availed 
themselves  of  every  opportunity  to  make  the  Israel- 
ites feel  their  resentment  at  having  been  thus  de- 
prived of  the  pre-eminence  as  the  favoured  people. 
They  accordingly  took  advantage  of  David's  absence, 
in  carrying  on  war  in  Arabia  and  Syria,  to  make  an 
irruption  into  his  kingdom,  slay  a  great  number  of 
his  subjects,  make  captives  of  others,  and  load  them- 
selves with  spoil.  But  before  they  could  reach,  and 
plunder  Jerusalem,  David's  wars  in  Syria  taking  a 
favourable  turn,  he  sent  Joab,  the  captain  of  his 
hosts,  in  pursuit  of  the  Edomites,  of  whom,  over- 
taking them  in  the  region  of  country  south  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  he  slew  twelve  thousand,  and  took  pos- 
session of  their  country.  2  Sam.  viii.  13;  1  Kings  xi. 
15,  16.  It  was  while  his  people  were,  in  his  absence, 
slain,  made  captives,  and  pillaged  by  the  Edomites, 
that  David  is  supposed  to  have  composed  this  psalm. 
It  seemed  strange  to  him,  that,  while  he  and  his 


PSALM   XLIV.  515 

fliitliful  soldiers  were  fighting  the  battles  of  the  Lord 
abroad,  his  people  should  be  so  severely  tried  at 
home.  God  had  been  the  help  of  Israel  in  all  time 
past,  and  was  under  covenant  obligations  to  be  their 
helper  still,  so  long  as  they  continued  faithful  in  their 
allegiance  to  him.  And  yet  the  present  posture  of 
their  affairs  looked  as  if  he  had  forgotten  them, 
though  Israel  had  not  forgotten  him,  neither  dealt 
falsely  in  his  covenant.  (See  verse  17.)  David,  how- 
ever, notwithstanding  a  state  of  things  so  calculated 
to  shake  his  faith,  cannot  but  believe  that  God  will 
still  be  the  helper  of  his  people,  as  he  ever  had  been 
in  time  of  need,  when  they  sought  him  with  their 
whole  heart.  It  is  only  by  a  review  of  the  past, 
that  he  is  enabled  to  dissipate  the  dark  clouds  of  the 
present. 

Verses  1,  2.  TVe  have  heard  with  our  cars,  0  God,  our  fathers 
have  told  us,  what  work  thou  didst  in  their  days,  in  the  times 
of  old.  How  thou  didst  drive  out  the  heathen  with  thy 
hand,  and  plantedst  them ;  how  thou  didst  afflict  the  people, 
and  cast  them  out. 

As  the  Lord  our  God  is  of  one  mind,  and  changes 
not — the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever — what 
he  has  done  once,  we  may  expect  him,  under  similar 
circumstances,  to  do  again,  always.  AVhat,  therefore, 
"  we  have  heard  with  our  ears,"  we  may  expect  to  see 
with  our  eyes.  Hence  the  testimony  of  God's  Church 
elsewhere  is,  "As  we  have  heard,  so  have  we  seen." 
Ps.  xlviii.  8.  Experience  has  always  confirmed  the 
testimony  of  the  past.  And  yet  an  earnest  faith  will 
speak  just  as  positively  of  the  future — as  we  have 
heard,  so  shall  we  see.  It  is  this  anticipative  faith 
that  sustains  David  here.  However  calamitous  the 
evils  may  be  under  which  he  and  his  people  may  be 
suffering,  he  cannot  but  believe  that  they  would  be 


516  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

delivered  as  their  fathers  had  been — that  He  who  had 

wrought  so  powerfully  for  the  fathers,   would  not 

allow  the  children  to  perish  out  of  the  land  which  he 

himself  had  given.     It  is  well  for  us  to  remember  in 

seasons  of  trial  what  God  has  done  for  others  under 

like  circumstances;  for  what  he  has  done  for  others, 

we  may  expect  him  under  the  same  circumstances  to 

do  for  us. 

Verse  3.  For  they  got  not  the  land  in  possession  by  their  own 
sword,  neither  did  their  own  arm  save  them;  but  thy  right 
hand,  and  thine  arm,  and  the  Hght  of  thy  countenance,  be- 
cause thou  hadst  a  favour  unto  them. 

It  was  not  by  military  prowess,  but  by  the  favour 
of  God,  that  Israel  of  old  prevailed.  It  was  his 
favour,  vouchsafed  to  faith,  that  enabled  five  of  them 
to  chase  an  hundred  of  their  enemies,  and  an  hun- 
dred to  put  ten  thousand  to  flight.  Lev.  xxvi.  8. 
"When  God  strengthens  us,  no  creature-power  can 
overcome  ns,  or  do  us  harm.  AVe  need  no  other 
hand  than  God's  right  hand,  no  other  arm  than  his, 
to  ensure  us  the  victory  over  every  enemy.  This 
was  the  experience  of  God's  Israel  of  old;  David 
hoped  that  it  would  be  the  experience  of  the  Israel 
of  his  day. 

Verse  4.  Thou  art  my  King,  0  God :  command  deliverances  for 
Jacob. 

As  the  Lord's  being  the  King  of  ancient  Israel 

secured  them  deliverance,  so   David  here  virtually 

pleads  the  same  relation  as  a  reason  why  he  should 

deliver  the  Israel  of  his  day.     The  Lord  was  their 

King  too.    They  had  stood  firm  in  their  allegiance  to 

him,  and  could  therefore  expect  the  favour  always 

vouchsafed  to  faithful  subjects.     They,   as  truly  as 

the  Israel  in  the  wilderness  and  in  the  conquest  of 

Canaan,  were  the  elect  of  God.     Here,  and  again  in 


PSALM  XLIV.  517 

the  sixth  verse,  David  speaks  in  the  first  person 
singular;  not,  however,  as  an  individual,  but  as  one 
giving  utterance  to  the  feelings  of  the  entire  national 
heart.  It  was  not  as  David,  but  as  the  leader  of 
Israel  that  he  speaks. 

Verses  5 — 8.  Through  thee  will  we  push  down  our  enemies: 
through  thy  name  will  we  tread  them  under  that  rise  up 
against  us.  For  I  will  not  trust  in  my  bow,  neither  shall  my 
sword  save  me.  But  thou  hast  saved  us  from  our  enemies, 
and  hast  put  them  to  shame  that  hated  us.  In  G  od  we  boast 
all  the  day  long,  and  praise  thy  name  for  ever.     Sduh. 

In  each  of  these  four  verses  there  is  a  silent  paral- 
lel run  between  the  Israel  of  old  and  the  Israel  of 
David's  day.  Did  the  former  trust  in  God  alone  to 
thrust  down  and  trample  their  enemies  under  their 
feef?  so  did  the  latter.  Did  the  former  renounce  all 
reliance  on  their  bow  and  sword  to  save  them'? 
so  did  the  latter.  Did  the  former  experience  con- 
tinual deliverance  out  of  the  hands  of  those  that 
hated  them'?  so  did  the  latter,  until  the  present  sore 
calamity  overtook  them.  Did  the  former  boast  them- 
selves in  God  all  the  day  long,  and  praise  him  con- 
tinually as  their  Help  and  Deliverer'?  the  latter  did 
the  same.  But  notwithstanding  these  parallels  be- 
tween the  faith  and  practice  of  the  two  Israels,  which 
would  lead  one  to  expect  a  parallelism  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  two,  he  goes  on  to  say : 

Verses  9, 10.  But  thou  hast  cast  off  and  put  us  to  shame,  and 
gocst  not  forth  with  our  armies.  Thou  makest  us  turn  back 
from  the  enemy;  and  they  which  hate  us  spoil  for  them- 
selves. 

In  these  and  the  six  following  verses  we  have 
represented  the  contrast  between  God's  dealings  with 
his  people  in  the  conquest  of  Canaan,  and  his  deal- 
ings with  them  at  the  date  of  our  psalm.  In  their 
conquest  of  Canaan  he  cast  down  every  enemy  that 
44 


518  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

rose  up  against  them;  at  the  date  of  our  psalm  he 
seems  to  have  forgotten  them,  though  Israel  had  not 
forgotten  him.  He  went  not  forth  with  their  armies: 
and  the  consequence  was  that  their  enemies  not  only 
routed  them  in  the  field,  but  took  possession  of  their 
homes  and  spoiled  them  of  their  goods.  The  few 
soldiers  that  David  left  at  home  to  defend  the  kingdom 
during  his  wars  in  Syria,  fled  before  the  invading 
hosts  of  Edom,  like  sheep  before  ravening  wolves. 
An  appalling  spectacle  to  those  whose  ancestors,  hav- 
ing God  as  their  leader  and  ally,  had  conquered  by 
few  as  easily  as  by  many!  Even  a  slight  discom- 
fiture in  battle  with  the  heathen  was  a  sore  affliction 
to  Israel:  for  such  discomfiture  was  proof  to  them 
that  God  was  not  with  them,  waging  the  battle  for 
them.  A  slight  discomfiture,  therefore,  as  indicating 
the  absence  of  their  Almighty  ally,  afflicted  Israel 
sorely.  Hence  the  bitterness  with  which  they 
mourned  the  loss  of  only  thirty-six  men  in  an  assault 
upon  Ai.  The  hearts  of  the  people  melted,  and 
became  as  water:  and  Joshua  rent  his  clothes,  and 
fell  to  the  earth  upon  his  face  before  the  ark  of  the 
Lord,  he  and  the  elders  of  Israel,  and  put  dust  upon 
their  heads.  Josh.  vii.  5,  6.  They  thus  mourned  the 
loss  because,  small  though  it  was,  it  was  proof  to 
their  minds  that  He  by  whose  help  alone  they  con- 
quered was  not  taking  part  with  them  in  the  battle. 
It  would  be  well  for  the  soldier  of  the  cross  to  regard 
his  slightest  discomfitures  in  the  same  way,  and  to 
mourn  over  them  as  bitterly.  The  smallest  failure 
in  his  warfare  with  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil,  is  evidence  that  there  was  something  wrong 
in  him,  because  of  Avhich,  He  by  whom  alone  he 
conquers,  had  for  the  time  given  him  up  to  himself. 


PSALM   XLIV.  519 

Verses  11,  12.  Thou  hast  given  us  like  sheep  appointed  for 
meat;  and  hast  scattered  us  among  the  heathen.  Thou 
sellest  thy  people  for  nought,  and  dost  not  increase  thy  wealth 
hy  their  price. 

How  many  of  the  Israelites  were  slain  in  the 
Edomitish  invasion  we  are  unable  to  say.  The  num- 
ber seems  to  have  been  great,  so  great  that  the  Edom- 
itesleft  them  unburied.  1  Kings  xi.  15.  Nor  can  we 
tell  how  many  were  scattered  among  the  heathen, 
led  away  captive  by  the  Edomites,  The  number 
was  doubtless  large,  for,  as  descendants  of  Esau,  the 
Edomites  delighted  in  making  captives  of  the  de- 
scendants of  Jacob,  since,  to  their  minds,  the  pos- 
session of  Israelitish  slaves  was  "a  matter-of-fact" 
counter  proof  of  the  decree,  "  the  elder  shall  serve  the 
younger."  Gen.  xxv.  23.  We  may  also  infer  the  num- 
ber of  captives  to  have  been  great,  from  tlie  words, 
"Thou  sellest  thy  people  for  nought,  and  dost  not 
increase  thy  wealth  by  their  price."  The  words  sound 
as  if  God  seemed  to  the  Israelites  to  have  given  them 
up  to  the  heathen  without  an  eifort  to  retain  them, 
parted  with  them  as  if  he  were  glad  to  get  rid  of 
them,  and  regarded  their  removal  out  of  his  holy 
land,  not  as  a  loss,  but  as  a  boon. 

Verses  13,  14.  Thou  makest  us  a  reproach  to  our  neighbours, 
a  scorn  and  derision  to  them  that  are  round  about  us.  Thou 
makest  us  a  by-word  among  the  heathen,  a  shaking  of  the 
head  among  the  people. 

"Miserable  as  a  Jew,"  was  once  a  by-word  to 
designate  the  most  wretched  and  pitiable  of  human 
beings.  It  was  generally  uttered  in  derision,  and,  as 
the  shaking  of  the  head  indicates,  contemptuous  pity. 
In  such  light,  and  with  such  feelings,  their  captors 
regarded  Israel  at  this  time.  They  mocked  at  their 
sufferings,  and  ridiculed  their  claim  to  be  the  pecu- 


520  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

liar  people  of  God.  "Ah!"  we  imagine  we  hear 
them  say,  "  if  your  God  be  so  powerful  as  ye  say  he 
is,  why  did  he  deliver  you  into  our  hands  1  why  are 
ye  thus  cast  downl  or  why  doth  he  not  now  come 
and  save  youf  To  be  thus  reproached  and  taunted 
by  those  who  have  us  wholly  in  their  power,  is  hard 
to  bear.  It  is  one  of  Satan's  most  burning  arrows  to 
goad  the  soul  to  madness. 

Verses  15,  16.  My  confusion  is  continually  before  me,  and 
the  shame  of  my  face  hath  covered  me,  for  the  voice  of  him 
that  reproacheth  and  blasphemeth;  by  reason  of  the  enemy 
and  avenger. 

There  was  no  cessation  of  the  kind  of  persecution 
just  described.  The  voice  of  reproach  and  of  blas- 
phemy was  dinned  in  the  ears  of  the  captive  people, 
and  was  continually  crimsoning  their  faces  with  the 
blush  of  shame.  Their  enemies  gave  them  no  rest. 
They  would  not  allow  them  to  forget  their  condition. 
It  was  not  enough  to  discomfit  them  in  battle,  to 
spoil  them  of  their  goods,  to  make  them  captives,  to 
slaughter  them  in  cold  blood  as  sheep  are  slaugh- 
tered for  the  butcher's  stall,  and  to  seU  them  for 
nought,  but  to  all  this  they  must  add,  Israel  being 
now  powerless  in  their  hands,  the  lowest  and  most 
odious  of  persecution,  taunting  the  helpless.  Such 
has  always  been  the  way  of  the  world  toward  the 
Church  of  God  when  she  was  in  affliction.  And 
does  it  not  tell  a  startling  story  of  the  profound  de- 
pravity of  the  human  heart  as  we  find  it  by  nature'? 

Verses  17-19.  All  this  is  come  upon  us;  yet  have  we  not  for- 
gotten thee,  neither  have  we  dealt  falsely  in  thy  covenant. 
Our  heart  is  not  turned  back,  neither  have  our  steps  de- 
clined from  thy  way;  though  thou  hast  sore  broken  us  in  the 
place  of  dragons,  and  covered  us  with  the  shadow  of  death. 

What  David  here  claims  for  Israel — that  they  had 


PSALM   XLIV.  621 

not  dealt  falsely  in  the  covenant  of  the  Lord,  either 
in  thought  or  act — is  not  that  they  had  served  the 
Lord  in  all  things,  without  fault  and  without  defect, 
but  only  that  they  had  not  been  guilty  of  the  sin  of 
apostatizing  from  God  into  idolatry.  This  their 
very  sufferings  proved.  They  were  suffering  at  that 
very  time  for  their  adherence  to  the  service  of  Jeho- 
vah. The  heathen  hated  and  persecuted  them  be- 
cause they  would  not  join  them  in,  nor  tolerate  their 
idolatries.  It  w^as  for  this  that  they  had  "  sore 
broken  them  in  the  place  of  dragons ;"  converted  so 
large  a  portion  of  their  beautiful  land  into  a  waste 
for  wild  beasts  and  beasts  of  prey,  and  covered  them 
with  the  shadow  of  death — filled  them,  that  is,  with 
deep  despondency  by  the  destruction  of  so  many  of 
their  friends.  Not  on  the  ground  of  their  being  sin- 
less, then,  but  only  on  the  ground  of  their  not  having 
apostatized  from  Jehovah  as  their  God,  Israel  hopes 
he  will  come  to  their  relief. 

Verses  20,  21.  If  we  have  forgotten  the  name  of  our  God, 
or  stretched  out  our  hands  to  a  strange  God;  shall  not 
God  search  this  out?  for  he  knoweth  the  secrets  of  the 
heart. 

Happy  the  believer  who  can  appeal  to  the  Searcher 
of  hearts  to  attest  the  truth  of  his  allegiance  to  him. 
It  was  such  an  appeal  that  Peter  made,  when,  our 
Lord  having  said  to  him  the  third  time,  "Lovest 
thou  me  I"  he  answered,  "Lord,  thou  knowest  all 
things;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee."  John  xxi.  17. 
He  had  been  guilty  of  other  and  great  sins,  yet  his 
heart  told  him  that  he  had  not  been  guilty  of  aposta- 
tizing from  his  Lord.  May  such,  however  guilty 
and  unworthy  we  may  feel  ourselves  to  be  in  other 
things,  ever  be  the  testimony  of  our  hearts. 
44* 


522  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Verse  22.     Yea,  for  tliy  sake  are  we  killed  all  the  day  long;  -we 
are  accounted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter. 

So  far  were  Israel  from  having  apostatized  from 
God,  this  verse  declares  that  they  were  continually 
suifering  for  their  very  fidelity  to  him.  As  the  reli- 
gion they  professed  tolerated  no  rival,  and  allowed 
no  fellowship  with  any  other,  it  arrayed  against  them 
the  religions  of  the  world  beside.  If  it  would  only 
have  been  willing  to  compromise  the  matter,  and 
been  content  to  occupy  its  niche  in  some  common 
pantheon,  the  heathen  would  have  tolerated  the  reli- 
gion of  the  Hebrews  as  they  tolerated  the  religion  of 
each  other.  But  Israel's  religion  being  the  only  true 
religion,  teaching  that  all  others  were  a  delusion,  it 
was  alike  antagonistic  to  all  others,  and  excited  alike 
the  hostility  of  them  all.  It  was  for  affirming  this 
exclusive  claim  to  a  Divine  religion,  that  every  infi- 
del and  pagan  hand  was  against  the  Israel  of  God 
in  David's  days,  and  from  David's  days  till  now. 
Thus,  for  their  very  fidelity  to  God,  and  loyalty  to 
his  truth,  the  people  of  God  have  always  had  to 
suff'er.  There  has  never  been  a  time  when  some 
portion  of  his  Church  could  not  say,  "Yea,  for  thy 
sake  are  we  killed  all  the  day  long."  St.  Paul  ap- 
plies this  very  verse  to  the  Church  in  his  day.  Rom. 
viii.  36.  I  cannot  forbear  introducing  here  the  re- 
marks of  another  on  this  description  of  God's  people 
suffering  for  his  sake,  for  their  very  fidelity  to  the 
cause  of  truth  and  righteousness: 

"The  first  feeling  that  arises  in  our  minds  on 
reading  these  verses  is,  Does  God  ever  permit  his 
children,  his  true  Israel,  to  be  thus  visited  and  op- 


PSALM    XLIV.  623 

pressed^  Does  he  ever  himself  bring  them  into  such 
heavy  and  sore  cahimities'?  Yes!  even  so— 'whom 
the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  whom  the  Lord 
intendeth  to  honour  he  trieth.'  It  is  very  different 
culture  that  is  required  for  the  fruits  and  flowers  of 
grace  from  that  which  is  requisite  in  our  conservato- 
ries and  gardens;  there  they  are  cherished  and 
watched  over  with  assiduous  eye  and  care,  that  no 
frost  should  check,  no  insect  devour  or  injure.  The 
gardener  riseth  early,  and  late  taketh  rest,  to  tend 
and  protect  alike  from  the  summer's  sun  or  winter's 
cold;  and  in  many  an  instance  brings  them  to  an 
earlier  bloom  by  forced  appliances  of  heat  and  culti- 
vation. Not  so,  in  many  a  case,  with  the  trees  of 
God's  planting;  they  are  rocked  by  the  wind  and 
storm,  and  grow  amid  the  drought  of  summer  and 
the  frost  of  winter;  they  are  oftentimes  left  exposed 
to  all  the  assaults  and  inroads  of  fierce  and  unremit- 
ting enemies ;  their  hedges  and  fences  are  so  broken 
down  that  all  that  pass  by  the  way  pluck  at  them, 
and  the  wild  beast  of  the  field  doth  devour  them; 
and  the  traveller,  as  he  passes  by  and  sees  them  in 
their  desolation,  may  well  deem  them  injured  of 
man,  and  forsaken  of  God.  But  it  is  not  so — it  has 
been  God's  mode  of  cultivation  with  many  of  the 
choicest  fruit-bearers  of  his  garden  through  every 
age.  The  wilderness  church  is  the  most  flourishing, 
and  sends  forth  the  choicest  and  strongest  saplings. 
And  one  can  well  believe  what  precious  seed  was 
sown,  and  what  abundant  harvest  reaped,  to  the 
praise  and  glory  of  God,  in  such  times  of  persecu- 
tion, oppression  and  terror,  as  are  described  in  this 
psalm." — Rev.  B.  Bouchier,  A.  M. 


624  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

We  come  now  to  the  prayer  with  which  our  psahn 
concludes;  a  prayer,  notwithstanding  the  great  suf- 
ferings of  the  petitioners,  expressive  of  strong  faith, 
and  of  love  still  fervid. 

Verses  23-26.  Awake,  why  sleepest  thou,  0  Lord?  arise,  cast 
us  not  off  for  ever.  Wherefore  hidest  thou  thy  face,  and 
forgettest  our  afflictions  and  our  oppression  ?  For  our  soul 
is  bowed  down  to  the  dust;  our  belly  cleaveth  unto  the  earth. 
Arise  for  our  help,  and  redeem  us  for  thy  mercies'  sake. 

Why  God  suffers  his  people  to  be  persecuted  for 
his  sake,  for  their  very  fidelity  to  him  and  his  truth, 
is  a  mystery  of  his  providence  that  we  do  not  under- 
take to  solve.  It  is,  however,  a  mystery  which  no 
suffering  believer  should  permit  for  a  moment  to 
shake  his  confidence  in  the  Divine  rectitude  and 
mercy.  If  conscious  to  himself  that  the  love  of  God 
governs  him,  it  would  be  blasphemy  in  him  to  be- 
lieve that  God  will  not  in  time,  and  at  the  best  time 
for  his  good  and  his  own  glory,  come  to  his  relief. 
He  will  not  always  be  to  the  believer  prostrate  upon 
the  earth,  and  glued,  as  it  were,  to  it — as  if  he  were 
asleep,  or  had  forgotten  him,  or  turned  his  face  away 
from  him  in  anger;  but  he  will  at  length  surely  arise 
for  his  help,  lift  him  up,  and  save  him  for  his 
mercy's  sake.  Let  none  of  us  despair,  then,  however 
much  we  may  suffer  at  the  hands  of  our  enemies, 
whether  visible  or  invisible,  if  we  are  conscious  of 
suffering  for  our  love  to  Christ  and  his  truth.  So 
suffering,  he  will  not  leave  us  to  perish.  It  was 
when  he  was  situated  precisely  as  the  suffering  be- 
lievers described  in  this  psalm  were  situated,  that 
St.  Paul  demands,  "  AVhat  shall  we  then  say  to  these 
things'?     If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us^ 


PSALM   XLIV. 


525 


He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him 
up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him  also  freely 
give  us  all  things'?  Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the 
charge  of  God's  elect "?  It  is  God  that  justifieth. 
Who  is  he  that  condemneth^  It  is  Christ  that  died, 
yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  who  is  ever  at  the 
right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession  for 
us.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ] 
Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or  famine, 
or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword "?  As  it  is  written, 
For  thy  sake  are  we  killed  all  the  day  long;  we  are 
accounted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter.  Nay,  in  all 
these  things  we  are  more  than  conquerors,  through 
him  that  loved  us.  For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principahties,  nor 
powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be 
able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  Rom.  viii.  31-39.  Such  is 
the  song  of  triumph  which  the  believer  is  enabled  to 
raise  under  the  severest  afflictions  with  which  man 
can  be  visited.  May  this  song  be  ours  in  every  sea- 
son of  temptation  and  trial;  and  especially  in  that 
day  when,  the  vital  cord  being  loosed,  the  body  re- 
turns unto  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  unto 
God  who  gave  it. 


626  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS, 


LECTURE  ON  PSALM  XLV. 

This  psalm  sets  forth,  under  the  imagery  of  a 
marriage  ceremony,  observed  in  oriental  style  and 
magnificence,  the  tender  and  endearing  relations  sub- 
sisting between  Christ  and  his  people.  In  the  title 
it  is  called  "A  Song  of  loves,"  because  it  celebrates 
the  ardent  attachment  that  each  has  for  the  other. 
It  is  also  called  "Maschil" — a  song  designed  to 
instruct — and  is  dedicated  "to  the  chief  musician 
upon  Shoshannim."  Shoshannim  means  The  Lilies, 
and  is  generally  supposed  to  refer  to  a  tune  of  that 
name,  to  which  the  psalm  was  to  be  sung.  Some, 
however,  think  that  "Shoshannim"  is  designed  to 
describe  the  persons  herein  represented  as  being 
spiritually  united  to  Christ:  that,  as  he  is  elsewhere 
called  the  "Lily  of  the  valleys,"  (Cant.  ii.  1,)  so  those 
resembling  him  in  beauty  and  fragrance  of  moral 
character,  are  called  by  the  same  name.  Christ's 
removing  his  sanctified  ones  from  the  Church  on 
earth  to  the  Church  in  heaven,  is  described  as  coming 
down  into  his  garden — to  gather  lilies.  This  both 
ingenious  and  pleasing  interpretation  of  "Shoshan- 
nim," as  those  spiritually  resembling  Christ  as  the 
Lily  of  the  valleys,  may  apply,  and  have  been  intended 
to  apply  in  this  place,  where  the  praises  of  the  bride 
and  of  the  Bridegroom  are  so  largely  blended.  It 
cannot,  however,  be  so  applied  in  the  titles  of  other 
psalms — Ps.  Ix.  Ixix.  Ixxx.  Shoshannim,  or  the  lilies, 
must  there  mean  the  tune,  or  style  of  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  to  which  the  words  of  the  song 
were  to  be  sung. 


PSALM   XLV.  527 

Verse  1.     My  heart  is  inditing  a  good  matter:  I  speak  of  the 
things  which  I  have  made  touching  the  King;  my  tongue  is 
the  pen  of  a  ready  writer. 
The  "good  matter"  which  the  heart  of  the  psalm- 
ist "was  inditing,"  the  goodly  theme  with  which  it 
was  running  over  like  the  waters  of  a  bubbling  spring 
or  heated  vessel,  was  the  glory  of  the  King,  Messiah. 
That  glory  had  been  so  revealed  to  him,  that  his 
tongue  could  not  but  be  as  "the  pen  of  a  ready 
writer,"  in  describing  it.     In  what  panoramic  vivid- 
ness he  paints  each  scene,  you  will  see  as  we  pass  on. 
The  Spirit  had  enriched  him  not  only  with  all  know- 
ledge, but  with  all  utterance.    1  Cor.  i.  5.     Where 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  freedom,  and  the 
most  stammering  tongue  is  taught  to  speak  of  the 
glory  of  the  Redeemer  in  words  of  more  than  human 
eloquence. 

Verse  2.     Thou  art  fiiirer  than  the  chiklren  of  men:  grace  is 
poured  into  thy  lips;    therefore  God  hath  blessed  thee  for 
ever. 
Of  our  Lord's  personal  appearance,  we  have  no 
reliable  description.     It  is  difficult,  however,  for  us 
to  conceive  of  it  as  being  other  than  the  perfection  of 
human  beauty  and  comeliness.    It  is  difficult,  because 
we  almost  intuitively  conceive  of  high  moral  and 
intellectual   endowments    as   existing  in  connection 
with  a  physical  organization  of  corresponding  excel- 
lence.    Hence   the   feeling   of  disappointment  that 
comes  over  us,  when,  on  meeting  one  whose  rare 
moral  and  intellectual  qualities  we  have  long  admired, 
we  find  them  in  union  with  a  personal  appearance  by 
no  means  prepossessing.     If,  therefore,  we  conceive 
of  infinite  excellence  embodied,  we  naturally  conceive 
of  it  as  embodied  in  the  mould  of  form.     Hence  the 
facility  with  which  we  conceive  of  our  Lord's  outer 


528  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

man  being  as  perfect  in  form  and  beauty  as  the  inner 
man  of  his  heart.  Whether  or  not  this  was  the  case, 
we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining.  Nor  is  it  needful; 
for  it  is  not  in  a  physical,  but  in  a  moral  sense,  that 
the  Divine  Spirit  says  of  Messiah,  "Thou  art  fairer 
than  the  children  of  men."  It  is  in  his  soul  that  the 
excelling  fairness  here  ascribed  to  him  is  to  be  found. 
And  in  that  he  was  indeed  "  fairer  than  tlie  children 
of  men:"  there  he  was  all  beauty,  all  attractiveness, 
the  One  altogether  lovely!  Grace  was  poured  into 
his  lips:  the  law  of  kindness  was  in  his  heart,  and 
its  words  evermore  upon  his  tongue.  And  such 
words,  too !  Listen  to  some  of  them :  "  The  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed  me 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor:  he  hath  sent  me  to 
heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind ;  to  set 
at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  accept- 
able year  of  the  Lord."  Luke  iv.  18,  19.  "Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and 
learn  of  me:  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart;  and 
ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."  Matt.  xi.  28,  29. 
"  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid 
them  not:  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Mark  x.  14.  Son,  daughter,  be  of  good  cheer;  thy 
sins  are  forgiven  thee:  go  in  peace.  Matt.  ix.  2.  "I 
will;  be  thou  clean."  Matt.  viii.  3.  "Verily,  I  say 
imto  thee,  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise." 
Luke  xxiii.  43.  "  Surely,  never  man  spake  like  this 
man."  John  vii.  46.  We  wonder  not  that  all  they 
that  heard  him,  "wondered  at  the  gracious  words 
which  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth."  Luke  iv.  22. 
Grace  was  indeed  poured  into  his  lips,  and  poured 


PSALM   XLV.  529 

itself  forth  in  streams  of  mercy  to  the  guilty,  of  truth 
to  the  benighted,  and  of  encouragement  to  the  down- 
cast. "Therefore  God  hath  blessed  thee  for  ever:" 
yes,  because  of  the  unrivalled  majesty,  and  yet  love- 
liness of  Messiah's  moral  character,  God  hath  blessed 
him  for  ever.  Of  the  glory  with  which  he  crowned 
himself,  in  redeeming  man  from  death,  there  shall  be 
no  end.  God  will  see  to  it,  that  eternity  shall  only 
develop  it  in  ever  more  brightening  hues,  and  more 
captivating  colours. 

Verse  3.  Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  0  most  Mighty,  with 
thy  glory  and  thy  majesty. 

Here  the  glorious  and  gracious  One  of  the  pre- 
ceding verse,  appears  before  us  as  a  hero,  a  mighty 
warrior  exhorted  to  gird  on  his  sword  for  the  battle, 
to  buckle  on  his  panoply  of  glory  and  of  majesty. 
Messiah's  only  sword,  his  only  panoply  of  glory  and 
of  majesty,  is  "the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the 
word  of  God."  Eph.  vi.  17.  He  asks  for  no  other 
weapon,  wherewith  to  wage  the  war.  Girded  with 
it,  quick  and  powerful,  and  two-edged,  piercing  to 
the  heart,  (Heb.  iv.  12,)  undaunted  he  takes  the  field 
against  the  world.  It  was  with  it  alone,  that,  using 
the  simple  words,  "It  is  written,"  he  repelled  every 
assault  made  upon  him  by  him  who  overthrew  the 
bliss  of  Eden. 

Verse  -4.  And  in  thy  majesty  ride  prosperously,  because  of  truth, 
and  meekness,  and  righteousness:  and  thy  right  hand  shall 
teach  thee  terrible  things. 

"Terrible  things,"  indeed,  to  all  those  who  oppose 
their  breasts  to  the  point  of  His  sword,  and  at- 
tempt to  arrest  the  progress  of  his  chariot !  No  man 
ever  yet  opposed  Messiah  and  prospered.  "  Terrible 
things,"  however,  is  not  the  better  translation  of  the 
45 


530  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Hebrew  word;  but  "wonderful  things — astonishing 
achievements."  And  what  more  wonderful  thing,  or 
astonishing  achievement  can  be  imagined,  than  that 
accomplished  by  the  simple  story  of  the  cross!  Mes- 
siah's right  hand,  indeed!  As  told  by  his  disciples,  how 
quickly  it  subdued  nations  before  him!  Hearing  it, 
they  cast  their  idols  to  the  moles  and  the  bats,  for- 
sook their  oracles,  beat  their  swords  into  plough- 
shares, and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks,  and 
walked  abroad  in  all  the  dignity  and  purity  of  sons 
and  daughters  of  the  Most  High.  If  there  was  any- 
thing terrible  in  these  mighty  changes,  this  march  of 
Messiah  for  the  vindication  "  of  truth,  and  meekness, 
and  righteousness,"  it  was  so  only  to  those  who 
opposed  the  truth,  oppressed  the  meek,  and  hated 
righteousness. 

Verse  5.  Thine  arrows  are  sharp  in  the  heart  of  the  King's 
enemies;  whereby  the  people  fall  under  thee. 

As  the  sword  is  for  hand  to  hand  conflict,  the 
arrow  is  for  that  waged  at  a  distance.  Now  the 
word  of  God  may  be  either  a  sword  to  slay  one  at 
a  single  blow,  as  it  slew  Saul  of  Tarsus — or  as  an 
arrow  to  pierce  the  heart,  again  and  again,  from  a 
distance.  And  where  is  the  Christian  man,  or  Chris- 
tian woman,  who  will  not  tell  you  that  the  King's 
arrows,  pungent  convictions  of  sin  and  of  ill  desert, 
were  once  sharp  indeed  in  their  hearts,  and  gave 
them  no  peace  till  they  fell  under  him,  when  he 
extracted  the  arrows  and  healed  their  wounds'? 

Verses  6,  7.  Thy  throne,  0  God,  is  for  ever  and  ever:  the 
sceptre  of  thy  kingdom  is  a  right  sceptre.  Thou  lovest 
righteousness  and  hatest  wickedness:  therefore  God,  thy 
God,  hath  anointed  thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy 
fellows. 

St.  Paul  quotes  these  verses,  (Heb.  i.  8,  9,)  to 


PSALM   XLV. 


531 


prove  both    the    Godhead   and   the   manhood,   the 
Divinity  and  the  humanity  of  our  Lord.     As  God, 
his  throne  is  for  ever  and  ever.     As  man,  the  Holy 
Spirit  filled  his  heart  with  a  joy  greater  than  that 
experienced  by  any  of  those  whom,  by  uniting  their 
human  with  his  Divine  nature,  he  thereby,  in  one 
sense,  made  his  fellows.    This  superior  joy  is  ascribed 
to  his  love  of  righteousness  and  hatred  of  wicked- 
ness.   Therefore,  "  God  hath  anointed  thee."    There 
may  be  also  another  meaning  to  the  words,  "oil  of 
gladness  above  thy  fellows."     They  may  mean  that 
the  joy  of  Messiah's  heart  at  the  sight  of  those  whom 
he  has  redeemed,  is  greater  than  that  which,  un- 
speakable as  it  must  be,  fills  the  heart  of  the  redeemed 
themselves.     Seeing   the  travail   of  his   soul,    (Isa. 
liii.  11,)  fills  him  with  a  joy  to  which  every  bosom 
but  his  own  is  a  stranger.     Such  is  the  reward  of 
the  man  Christ  Jesus  for  having  redeemed  us  from 
death  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself.     In  how  capti- 
vating  a    hght  it  exhibits   our  Immanuel!      Who 
would  not  rejoice  that  His  throne  is  for  ever  and 
ever,  and  the  sceptre  of  the  universe  in  his  hands'? 
Verse  8.     All  thy  garments  smell  of  myrrh,  aloes,  and  cassia, 
out  of  the  ivory  palaces,  whereby  they  have  made  thee  glad. 

Anointing  the  person  with  fragrant  perfumes,  and 
sprinkling  the  dress  with  fragrant  waters,  has  always 
prevailed  in  the  East,  and  especially  with  persons  of 
reo-al  dignity;  which  dignity  is  here  indicated  by 
their  palaces  being  palaces  of  ivory.  That  is,  palaces 
whose  inside  work,  chambers,  and  furniture,  were 
ornamented  with  inlayings  of  that  material.  Ahab 
had  an  ivory  palace,  1  Kings  xxii.  39 ;  and  Amos 
speaks  of  others.  Amos  iii.  15.  Of  course  one  com- 
ing forth  from  such  a  palace  as  a  king  to  ascend  his 


532  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

throne,  or  as  a  bridegroom  to  welcome  a  young  bride 
to  his  home,  would  come  forth  with  all  his  garments 
redolent  with  the  most  precious  and  exquisite  per- 
fumes. No  cost  would  be  counted  to  give  the  per- 
fumes a  richness  and  delicacy  of  fragrance  that  would 
ravish  the  senses  of  all  who  should  come  within  the 
circle  of  their  power.  So,  too,  our  Lord;  he,  with 
garments  thus  redolent  with  every  spiritual  perfume, 
comes  forth  to  meet  his  spiritual  bride,  the  Church 
he  purchased  with  his  blood,  and  sanctifies  by  his 
Spirit.  For  he,  too,  has  received  an  anointing  that 
gladdens  his  heart  more  than  the  anointing  of  the 
dwellers  in  ivory  palaces  gladdened  theirs,  even  the 
anointing  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  be  our  Prophet, 
Priest,  and  King.  And  how  fragrant  is  the  moral 
atmosphere  that  floats  around  his  name  in  all  these 
his  threefold  relations  to  his  Church !  As  our  Prophet 
to  teach  us  the  truth — "Never  man  spake  like  this 
man!"  As  our  Priest  to  gain  us  access  to  God — 
"He  put  away  our  sins  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself, 
and  now  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us !" 
As  our  King  to  rule  over  us — where  is  the  king  who 
ever  enacted  laws  so  perfect  for  the  government  of 
his  subjects,  or  administered  his  laws  so  impartially'? 
Under  whatever  aspect  we  view  our  Lord  in  his  great 
work  of  redeeming  love,  "  all  his  garments  smell  of 
myrrh,  aloes,  and  cassia."  An  unrivalled  moral 
aroma  invests  his  character  on  whatever  side  we 
approach  it.  His  name  is  indeed  as  ointment  poured 
out.  His  whole  life,  everything  he  said,  everything 
he  did,  exhaled  the  air  of  heaven,  and  bespoke  his 
breast  the  abode  of  its  purity,  love,  and  peace. 

Verse  9.     Kings'  daugliters  were  among  thy  honourable  women ; 
upon  thy  right  hand  did  stand  the  queen  in  gold  of  Ophir. 


PSALM   XLV. 


633 


Kings'  daughters  are,  in  Scripture  phrase,  their 
kingdoms.    The  kings'  daughters  then  in  attendance 
on  Messiah  are  the  gentile  nations  that  were  to  be 
gathered  into  his  Church.     They  were  gathered  in 
largely  in  the  beginning— they  will  come  in  still 
more  numerously  in  the  ages  to  come.     The  queen 
at  Messiah's  right  hand  in  gold  of  Ophir  is  beUeved 
to  represent  the  Hebrew  Church.    Her  being  clothed 
in  gold  of  Ophir  is  probably  designed  to  represent 
her   as    being   at   last  completely    clothed  "in    the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."     This,  of  course,  is  a  looking 
forward  to  the  time  when  the  veil  that  is  now  upon 
her  heart  shall  have  been  taken  away,  the  fulness  of 
the  Gentiles  having  been  gathered  in.     When  that 
shall  have   come   to   pass,  then  shall  the  Hebrew 
Church,  as  Messiah's  first  love,  stand  in  the  place  of 
honour  on  his  right  hand.    Of  this  restoration  of  the 
Hebrew  Church  to  the  first  place  in  the  affections  of 
her  former  Lord,  there  are  clear  intimations  in  the 
word  of  God.     "He  will  surely  betroth  the  Church 
of  Israel  unto  himself  again,  and  for  ever."  Hosea  ii. 
19,  20. 

Verses  10,  11.  Hearken,  0  daughter,  and  consider,  and  incline 
tliiue  ear:  forget  also  thine  own  people  and  thy  fathers 
house;  so  shall  the  King  greatly  desire  thy  beauty:  ior  he 
is  thy  Lord;  and  worship  thou  him. 

The  psalmist,  or  rather  the  Divine  Spirit,  here 
admonishes  the  queen  bride,  and  so,  virtually,  all  the 
Gentile  brides,  as  a  father  would  admonish  a  daugh- 
ter, to  identify  herself  entirely  in  thought,  feeling, 
and  purpose,  with  Him  to  whom  she  was  about  to  be 
united  for  life— admonishes  her  to  forget  her  own 
people,  and  her  father's  house,  to  bring  into  the 
kingdom  of  Messiah  no  previous  prejudice,  no  previ- 
45* 


534  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

ous  preposession,  no  habit,  no  custom,  that  would  in 
any  way  interfere  with  her  worshipping  and  serving 
him  with  supreme  aifection  as  her  Lord.  So  coming 
to  him,  in  all  the  beauty  of  pure  evangelical  holi- 
ness, "the  King  would  greatly  desire  her  beauty;" 
would  look  upon  her  with  all  the  tender  complacency 
with  which  the  bridegroom  looks  upon  his  blooming 
bride,  in  whose  face  he  sees  depicted  nothing  but 
love  and  devotion  to  himself.  Alas,  how  few  of  us 
consider  how  entire  our  devotion  to  Christ  must  be 
to  ensure  his  complacency;  how  entirely  every 
thought,  word,  and  deed,  that  might  interfere  with 
supreme  love  to  him  must  be  omitted  and  forgotten ! 

Verse  12.     And  the  daughter  of  Tyre  shall  be  there  with  a  gift; 
even  the  rich  among  the  people  shall  entreat  thy  favour. 

"The  daughter  of  Tyre"  means  the  city  of  Tyre, 
at  the  time  these  words  were  uttered  the  richest 
among  the  nations,  the  mart  of  the  world,  and  her 
merchants,  princes.  Isa.  xxiii.  3,  8.  Her  entreating 
the  favour  of  the  queen-consort  with  a  gift,  a  mode 
of  expressing  homage  still  common  in  the  East,  indi- 
cates that  in  time  to  come  the  trade  and  com- 
merce, the  arts  and  science,  of  the  wealthiest  por- 
tions of  the  world  would  reckon  it  an  honour  and 
a  privilege  to  pay  tribute  to  the  Church  of  God. 
And  is  it  not  a  fact  confirmed  by  the  history  of 
missions,  that  as  these  have  spread,  missions  have 
spread  with  them]  Where  is  there  another  nation 
that  has  so  excelled  in  trade  and  commerce,  art  and 
science,  as  England]  and  where  is  there  another 
nation  that  has  done  so  much  to  honour  the  Church 
of  our  Redeemer — so  much  to  speed  its  messages  of 
salvation  to  the  isles  of  the  sea  and  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  earth?     In  every  such  nation  we  see  a 


PSALM   XLV.  535 

Tyre  seeking  the  favour  of  Messiah's  queen  with  a 
gift.  The  more  they  excel  in  trade  and  commerce, 
the  more  they  do  to  honour  and  advance  the  Church 
of  Him  whose  throne  is  for  ever  and  ever. 

Verse  13.     The  King's  daughter  is   all   glorious  within:    her 
clothing  is  of  wrought  gold. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  here  that  the  Spirit  of  inspi- 
ration denominates  the  Church  of  Messiah  in  one 
place  as  his  wife,  in  another  as  his  daughter,  and  in 
still  another,  as  his  sister,  thus  varying  the  name  and 
relation  the  more  vividly  to  impress  upon  our  minds 
the  thought  that  the  ties  that  bind  him  to  his  peo- 
ple are  the  strongest  and  purest  that  can  be  con- 
ceived: that  a  husband  cannot  love  his  wife,  a  father 
love  his  daughter,  nor  a  brother  love  his  sister,  more 
tenderly  than  Messiah  loves  his  Church,  and  every 
member  of  his  Church.  "The  King's  daughter  is 
all  glorious  within" — that  is,  in  spiritual  graces  and 
endowments.  And  what  are  some  of  them  ?  "  Love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith, 
meekness,  temperance,"  Eph.  v.  22.  These  are  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit,  and  constitute  "  the  King's  daugh- 
ter all  glorious  within"  in  the  temper  of  her  mind, 
being  of  the  same  mind  with  her  Lord.  "  Her  cloth- 
ing is  of  wrought  gold:"  is  made  up  of  "  whatsoever 
things  are  true,  of  whatsoever  things  are  honest,  of 
whatsoever  things  are  just,  of  whatsoever  things  are 
pure,  of  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  of  whatsoever 
things  are  of  good  report."  Philip,  iv.  8.  She  adds  to 
her  "faith  virtue;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge;  and  to 
knowledge,  temperance;  and  to  temperance,  pa- 
tience; and  to  patience,  godliness;  and  to  godliness, 
brotherly  kindness;  and  to  brotherly  kindness,  cha- 
rity." 2  Pet.  i.  5, 6,  7.    A  drapery  of  "  wrought  gold" 


536  LECTURES   ON  THE   PSALMS. 

indeed !  a  life  of  active  virtues  as  bright  as  her  cata- 
logue of  inward  graces !  as  glorious  without  as  she  is 
within,  in  act  as  she  is  in  thought. 

Verses  14,  15.  She  shall  be  brought  unto  the  King  in  raiment 
of  needlework ;  the  virgins  her  companions  that  follow  her 
shall  be  brought  unto  thee:  with  gladness  and  rejoicing  shall 
they  be  brought  unto  thee :  they  shall  enter  into  the  King's 
palace. 

They  shall  enter  into  His  spiritual  palace  here  on 
earth;  they  shall  enter  into  his  palace  on  high,  the 
house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens. 
The  daughter's  "  raiment  of  needlework"  must  needs 
mean  substantially  the  same  as  her  "clothing  of 
wrought  gold,"  already  explained.  We  must  also 
conceive  of  her  bridal  attendants  as  equally  glorious 
Mdthin  and  similarly  attired.  They  follow  the  He- 
brew bride  as  her  equals,  though  joyfully  giving  her 
the  precedence  as  the  King's  first,  and,  for  a  long 
time,  only  love. 

Verse  16.  Instead  of  thy  fathers  shall  be  thy  children,  whom 
thou  mayest  make  princes  in  all  the  earth. 

Addressing  the  King  again,  the  psalmist  here 
promises  him  as  the  fruit  of  the  espousals  now 
represented  as  consummated,  a  royal  progeny  more 
numerous  than  his  ancestors,  children  of  his  own, 
whom  he  may  "make  princes,"  not  in  Judea  only, 
but  "in  all  the  earth."  These  children  are,  of  course, 
Messiah's  spiritual  children,  kings  and  rulers  with 
his  image  impressed  upon  their  hearts  and  ruling  in 
his  fear.  This  prophecy  has  been  already  partially 
fulfilled,  nation  after  nation,  and  kingdom  after  king- 
dom, having  already  joined  the  marriage  procession 
herein  before  described.  Its  complete  fulfilment  is, 
however,  yet  to  be  realized — to  be  realized  when  the 
seventh  angel  of  the  Apocalyptic  vision  sounds,  and 


PSALM   XLV.  637 

great  voices  are  heard  in  heaven,  saying,  "  The  king- 
doms of  this  world  have  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
Lord,  and  of  his  Christ ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever 
and  ever."  Rev.  xi.  15.  Till  then  Messiah's  sword 
must  remain  girt  upon  his  thigh.  His  arrows  set  to 
the  string  upon  his  bow,  and  he  go  on  from  conquer- 
ing to  conquer. 

Verse  17.     I  will  make  thy  name  to  be  remembered  in  all  genera- 
tions :  therefore  shall  the  people  praise  thee  for  ever  and  ever. 

It  is  thought  that  the  psalmist  speaks  here  as  a 
representative  character,  as  one  in  a  succession  of 
evangelists  whose  business  it  should  be  to  preach 
Christ  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world;  to 
make  his  "name  to  be  remembered  in  all  genera- 
tions;" and,  in  so  doing,  cause  perpetual  praise  of 
him  among  the  people.  If  this  be  the  meaning  of 
these  inspired  words,  they  have  been  in  process  of 
fulfilment  ever  since  they  were  uttered.  The  name 
of  Messiah,  proclaimed  from  generation  to  generation 
by  the  ministers  of  his  word,  has  awakened  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth  higher,  holier,  and  more 
fervid  songs  of  praise  than  any  other  name  given 
under  heaven  among  men.  It  was  his  name,  as  a 
Deliverer  to  come,  that  kindled  in  the  heart  of  the 
l^ious  Jew  its  Hveliest  and  most  abiding  joy.  It  is 
his  name,  as  a  Deliverer  who  has  come,  that  kindles 
the  same  joy  in  our  hearts.  And  how  captivating 
the  insight  this  forty-fifth  psalm  gives  us  into  the 
deep  and  tender  meaning  of  "His  name!" — the 
majesty  and  loveliness  of  his  character!  First,  he 
appears  as  our  Champion,  waging  the  battle  for  us; 
then,  as  the  God  whose  throne  is  for  ever  and  ever; 
and  then,  as  welcoming  us  unto  abodes  of  everlasting 
bliss,  with  all  the  love  and  tenderness  with  which 


538  LECTUKES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

the  bridegroom  welcomes  the  loveliest  and  most  be- 
loved of  brides  to  his  heart  and  home.  "  Behold,  the 
Bridegroom  comcth;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him:"  delay 
not  to  join  the  procession  at  once,  lest,  when  you 
present  yourselves  at  his  palace  for  admission,  you 
find  the  door  shut.    Matt.  xxv.  6,  10. 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM   XLVI. 

Louder  notes  of  triumphant  confidence  in  God  as  an 
ever-present  and  almighty  Help  are  nowhere  to  be 
found,  than  we  find  in  this  forty-sixth  psalm.  It 
was  composed  on  the  occasion  of  God's  deliverance 
of  Israel  out  of  the  hand  of  Sennacherib,  king  of 
Assyria.  It  was  to  be  sung  upon  Alamoth — that  is, 
to  a  tune  suited  to  the  clear  shrill  voice  of  female 
minstrels,  al-amoth  meaning  virgin-manner.  The 
history  of  Sennacherib's  invasion  of  Israel  is  recorded 
in  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  chapters  of  the 
second  book  of  Ivings,  in  the  thirty-second  chapter 
of  the  second  book  of  Chronicles,  and  also  in  the 
thirty-sixth  and  thirty-seventh  chapters  of  Isaiah. 
Ha-ving  already  subdued  all  the  surrounding  nations 
to  liis  sway,  and  also  taken  all  the  other  fortified 
towns  of  Judah,  the  inflated  conqueror  sat  down  with 
his  vast  veteran  armies  before  Jerusalem,  to  take  it 
also.  The  king  of  Judah  at  the  time  was  Hezekiah, 
who  excelled  in  his  simple  trust  in  God  and  zeal 
against  idolatry.  2  Kings  xviii.  3-7.  But  before 
making  what  he  no  doubt  thought  would  be  a  suc- 
cessful assault  upon  the  holy  city,  Sennacherib  sent 


PSALM   XLVI.  539 

an  insulting  message  to  those  shut  up  in  .Jerusalem, 
bidding  them  not  regard  Hezekiah,  if  he  should  say 
to  them,  "  the  Lord  will  surely  deliver  us,  and  this 
city  shall  not  be  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  king 
of  Assyria:  for  who,"  demands  Sennacherib,  "who 
among  all  the  gods  of  the  countries,  have  delivered 
their  country  out  of  my  hand,  that  the  Lord  should 
deliver  Jerusalem  out  of  mine  handf  2  Kings  xviii. 
30,  35.  Hezekiah's  only  reply  was  prayer,  saying, 
"O  Lord  God  of  Israel,  which  dwellest  between  the 
cherubims,  thou  art  the  God,  even  thou  alone,  of  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  earth :  thou  hast  made  heaven 
and  earth.  Lord,  now  bow  down  thine  ear,  and 
hear:  open,  Lord,  thine  eyes,  and  see;  and  hear  the 
words  of  Sennacherib  which  he  hath  sent  by  his 
messenger  to  reproach  the  living  God.  Of  a  truth, 
Lord,  the  kings  of  Assyria  have  destroyed  the  nations 
and  their  lands,  and  have  cast  their  gods  into  the 
fire :  for  they  were  no  gods,  but  the  work  of  men's 
hands,  wood  and  stone:  therefore  have  they  de- 
stroyed them.  Now  therefore,  O  Lord  our  God,  I 
beseech  thee,  save  thou  us  out  of  his  hand,  that  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  may  know  that  thou  art 
the  God,  even  thou  alone."  2  Kings  xix.  15-19. 
Then  Isaiah  answered  Hezekiah,  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel,  That  which  thou  hast  prayed  to 
me  against  Sennacherib,  king  of  Assyria,  I  have 
heard.  This  is  the  word  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken 
concerning  him:  The  virgin,  the  daughter  of  Zion, 
hath  despised  thee,  and  laughed  thee  to  scorn;  the 
daughter  of  Jerusalem  hath  shaken  her  head  at  thee. 
Whom  hast  thou  reproached  and  blasphemed,  and 
against  whom  hast  thou  exalted  thy  voice,  and  lifted 
up  thine  eyes  on  high  ]    Even  against  the  Holy  One 


540  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

of  Israel.  Because  thy  rage  against  me,  and  thy 
tumult  is  come  up  into  mine  ears,  therefore  will  I 
put  my  hook  in  thy  nose,  and  my  bridle  in  thy  lips, 
and  I  will  turn  thee  back  by  the  way  thou  camest. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  the  king  of  Assyria: 
He  shall  not  come  into  this  city,  nor  shoot  an  arrow 
there,  nor  come  before  it  with  shield,  nor  cast  up  a 
trench  against  it.  For  I  will  defend  this  city,  to  save 
it  for  mine  own  sake,  and  for  my  servant  David's 
sake.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  night,  that  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  went  forth,  and  smote  in  the  camp  of 
the  Assyrians  an  hundred  and  four-score  and  five 
thousand  men."  2  Kings  xix.  20-35.  So  Senna- 
cherib, king  of  Assyria,  returned  with  shame  to  his 
own  land. 

When  they  saw  the  hosts  of  Sennacherib  threaten- 
ing Jerusalem  itself,  Hezekiah  said  to  the  people, 
"Be  strong  and  courageous,  be  not  afraid  nor  dis- 
mayed for  the  king  of  Assyria,  nor  for  all  the  multi- 
tude that  is  with  him;  for  there  be  more  with  us 
than  with  him.  With  him  is  an  arm  of  flesh;  but 
with  us  is  the  Lord  our  God,  to  help  us,  and  to  fight 
our  battles."  2  Chron.  xxxii.  7,  8.  Such  were  the 
words  of  Hezekiah,  and  such  their  fulfilment !  The 
angel  of  the  Lord  breathed  on  the  hosts  of  Senna- 
cherib, and  they  were  not;  and  he,  a  fugitive  for  his 
life,  fled  to  his  own  country.  And  now,  having  been 
thus  delivered,  how  could  the  liberated  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  commemorate  their  deliverance  with 
other  words  than  those  with  which  our  psalm  opens'? 

Verse  1.     God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in 
trouble. 

"A  very  present  Help,"  indeed!  The  sun  went 
down  on  Israel's  enemies,  boasting  what  they  would 


PSALM   XLVI. 


541 


do  on  the  morrow:  the  morrow's  sun  dawned  on 
tiiem — dead!  A  wind  from  the  desert  passed  over 
them— they  breathed  it  once,  to  breathe  no  more! 
It  was  the  Lord's  doing,  and  the  people  saw  that  it 
was.  The  watchers  upon  the  walls  of  the  holy  city 
in  the  morning  looked  out  in  vain  to  discover  a 
vestio-e  of  any  living  remains  of  their  so  formidable 
enemies  of  the  night  before.  It  had  happened  to 
them  as  it  happened  to  the  hosts  of  Pharaoh,  pur- 
suing Israel  into  the  midst  of  the  Red  Sea,  not  one 
of  whom  remained  alive  to  tell  the  story  of  the  dis- 
aster that  befell  them  there.  Exod.  xiv.  13,  14.  In 
both  instances,  the  people  of  God  experienced  the 
salvation  of  the  Lord,  when  he  alone  could  save 
them,  without  their  raising  a  hand  to  achieve  it  for 
themselves.  God  was  their  refuge,  and  strength,  and 
help.  When  the  time  came  for  punishing  their 
enemies,  and  delivering  them,  he  spake,  and  it  was 
done:  he  commanded,  and  it  stood  fast.  They  stood 
still,  and  saw  the  salvation  of  God. 

Verses  2  3.  Therefore  will  not  we  fear,  though  the  earth  be 
removed,  and  though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst 
of  the  sea;  though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled, 
though  the  mouatains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof. 
Selah. 

For  the  earth  to  be  removed— understanding  by 
the  earth,  its  inhabitants— is  supposing  all  the  bonds 
that  unite  mankind  in  civil  society,  to  be  sundered, 
law  and  order  to  be  at  an  end,  and  anarchy  reigning 
in  their  stead.  Nevertheless,  so  secure  does  the 
Church  of  God  feel  under  his  protection,  that  she 
declares  she  could  witness  even  such  a  scene  of  law- 
lessness and  confusion,  without  fear;  satisfied  that 
there  was  still  a  Divine  hand  at  the  helm,  which 
46 


542  LECTUEES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

would  in  time  bring  back  the  ship  of  human  destiny 
to  its  bearings.  The  sea,  and  the  waters  of  the  sea — 
are  thought  to  represent  the  masses  of  mankind,  not 
in  their  multitudinous,  but  in  their  national  aspects, 
as  men  confined  within  certain  metes  and  bounds, 
and  living  under  established  governments.  These 
established  governments  are  also  "the  mountains"  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea,  and  are,  as  every  one  knows, 
often  shaken  by  the  swelling  of  its  waters — indeed, 
the  tide  of  human  passion  not  only  shaking  them, 
but  often  sweeping  them  away.  Maddened  popular 
feeling  is  truly  a  sea  whose  waters  cannot  rest,  but 
still  roar  and  are  troubled.  If,  however,  we  choose 
to  regard  these  mountains  separately — each  as  some 
powerful  state  or  empire,  with  its  subjects  and  rulers, 
citizens  and  sovereign  acting  together  as  an  organ- 
ized, closely  cemented,  and  energetic  whole — when 
such  a  mountain  is  "carried  into  the  midst  of  the 
sea,"  makes  war  upon  the  other  nations  of  the  earth, 
how  fearful  are  the  commotions  that  ensue !  Such  a 
mountain  was  each  of  the  four  great  monarchies — the 
Chaldean,  Medo-Persian,  Macedonian,  and  Roman — 
and  France,  too,  revolutionary  France ! — the  burning 
mountain  of  the  Apocalypse,  which,  being  cast  into 
the  sea,  a  third  part  of  the  waters  thereof  became 
blood.  Rev.  viii.  8.  Even  in  the  midst  of  such 
scenes  as  these,  scenes  of  the  wildest  commotion  of 
the  powers  of  the  earth,  it  is  the  duty  and  privilege 
of  the  people  of  God,  having  him  as  their  refuge, 
and  strength,  and  help,  still  to  say,  "we  will  not 
fear."  There  is  a  Selah  added  at  the  end  of  these 
verses,  that  we  may  pause,  to  consider  the  thought 
they  contain. 


PSALM   XLVI.  543 

Verse  4.  Tliere  is  a  river,  the  streams  whereof  shall  make  glad 
the  city  of  God,  the  holy  place  of  the  tabernacles  of  the  Most 
High. 

It  is  as  a  sea  whose  waves  roar  and  waters  cast  up 
mire  and  dirt,  that  the  world  is  represented  to  our 
moral  vision.  All  the  influences  proceeding  thence 
work  disastrously.  Not  so  the  influences  that  pro- 
ceed from  the  Church  of  the  living  God — they  are 
"a  river,  the  streams  whereof"  gladden  wherever 
they  flow.  They  gladden  the  understanding,  enlight- 
ening its  darkness;  they  gladden  the  heart,  chasing 
away  its  sorrow ;  they  gladden  the  conscience,  giving 
it  peace.  The  sea  contains  in  its  dark  depths  the 
washings  of  the  whole  earth:  the  river  of  Divine 
influences,  gladdening  "the  city  of  God,  the  holy 
place  of  the  tabernacles  of  the  Most  High,"  is  clear 
as  crystal,  and  flows  with  streams  so  numerous,  that 
its  waters  reach  and  refresh  every  attribute  of  human 
character  that  can  ennoble  man. 

Verse  5.  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her;  she  shall  not  be  moved: 
God  shall  help  her,  and  that  right  early. 

It  is  vain  to  assault  the  city  that  has  God  in  the 
midst  of  it,  as  its  defender.  Such  a  city  cannot  be 
moved.  Its  strength  is  Omnipotence.  We  can  say 
the  same  of  the  soul  in  which  God  has  taken  up  his 
abode,  through  his  Spirit — it  "  shall  not  be  moved." 
Dangers  may  threaten  it,  but  "  God  will  help  it,  and 
that  right  early."  The  Hebrew,  rendered  "right 
early,"  means  the  turning  of  the  morning,  the  dawn- 
ing of  day ;  and  may  therefore  have  a  literal  reference 
to  the  suddenness  with  which  the  Lord  destroyed  the 
hosts  of  Sennacherib.  Flushed  with  hope,  and  con- 
fident of  victory,  they  lighted  their  camp-fires  at 
night;  but  when  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  "arose 


544  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

early  in  the  morning,  behold,"  their  besieging  enemy 
"were  all  dead  corpses."  Isa.  xxxvii.  36.  At  eventide 
there  was  trouble  for  Israel;  before  the  morning,  it 
was  no  more.  How  well  this  accords  with  the  expe- 
rience of  many  a  believer — the  interval  between  the 
greatest  distress  and  the  greatest  relief,  the  deepest 
sorrow  and  the  highest  joy,  often  being  the  interval 
of  an  instant  only ! 

Verse  6.     The   heathen  raged,  the  kingdoms  were  moved:  he 
uttered  his  voice,  the  earth  melted. 

That  is,  they  raged,  and  were  moved  against  Jeru- 
salem, the  city  of  God,  to  destroy  it:  not  one  heathen 
nation  only,  but  kingdoms  that  Sennacherib  had  sub- 
jected to  his  sway,  and  whose  chosen  troops  were,  no 
doubt,  marching  under  his  banner.  "He  uttered  his 
voice,  the  earth  melted."  These  words  describe  the 
effect,  upon  the  heathen  world,  of  the  fearful  judg- 
ment inflicted  upon  the  hosts  of  Sennacherib  before 
Jerusalem.  That  judgment  caused  them  to  stand 
aghast,  and  their  hearts  melted  within  them.  Its 
greatness  and  suddenness  filled  them  with  dismay. 
They  could  not  but  acknowledge  the  voice  of  God, 
even  of  the  God  of  the  whole  earth,  in  it. 

Verse  7.     The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us;  the  God  of  Jacob  is 
our  refuge.     Selali. 

Having  experienced  such  deUverance  as  they  had, 
Israel  could  well  say  this.  No  human  power  could 
have  overcome  the  formidable  host  that  had  come  up 
against  them:  none  but  the  Lord  of  hosts.  It  was  a 
case  worthy  of  his  interposition,  and  he  had  inter- 
posed in  a  way  to  leave  his  people  no  room  to  doubt 
his  presence.  As  he  had  delivered  Jacob,  so  had  he 
delivered  them,  and  thereby  manifested  that  he  had 
not  forgotten  his  covenant  with  Jacob  to  be  a  God  to 


PSALM  XLVI.  545 

his  seed  after  him.  This  covenant  fidelity  of  their 
father's  God  enhances  the  joy  of  their  deliverance. 
How  glorious  a  sight  it  is  to  see  the  grace  of  God 
continuing  in  the  same  family  from  generation  to 
generation !  the  God  of  the  fathers  being  the  God  of 
the  children,  and  of  the  children's  children. 

Verse  8.  Come,  behold  the  works  of  the  Lord,  what  desolations 
he  hath  made  in  the  earth. 

The  devastations  of  the  conqueror  are  permitted 
by  Him  whose  kingdom  ruleth  over  all.  He  says, 
"  I  will  show  wonders  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  blood, 
and  fire,  and  pillars  of  smoke."  Joel  xx.  30.  The 
wicked  are  his  sword  wherewith  to  punish  the  wick- 
ed, and  sometimes  his  own  people,  to  reclaim  them. 
The  people  then,  no  doubt,  include  in  the  desolations 
here  spoken  of,  the  desolations  of  their  own  land, 
every  portion  of  which  had  been  desolated,  except 
Jerusalem.  All  these  desolations  the  Lord  had  made. 
He  maketh  the  wrath  of  man  promote  the  great 
benevolent  ends  of  his  moral  government  of  the 
world ;  the  remainder  he  restrains. 

Verse  9.  He  maketh  wars  to  cease  unto  the  end  of  the  earth; 
he  breaketh  the  bow,  and  cutteth  the  spear  in  sunder;  he 
burneth  the  chariot  in  the  fire. 

"He  maketh  wars  to  cease"  at  one  time,  by 
cutting  off  the  power,  and  at  another,  the  life  of  him 
who  had  caused  them.  He  brought  Sennacherib's 
wars  to  a  close  in  both  ways.  First,  the  pestilence 
swept  away  in  a  single  night  the  myriad  hosts  on 
whose  prowess  he  relied;  and  then,  on  his  return 
home,  two  of  his  sons  smote  him  with  the  sword, 
that  he  died.  Isa.  xxxvii.  38.  Wars  then  ceased 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  many  nations  that 
Sennacherib  had  subjugated  to  his  iron  yoke,  once 
46* 


546  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

more  had  peace;  beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares 
and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks.  God  had  dealt 
with  him  as  he  had  said  he  would,  saying,  "  I  will 
put  my  hook  in  thy  nose,  and  my  bridle  in  thy  lips, 
and  I  will  turn  thee  back  by  the  way  by  which  thou 
camest."  Isa.  xxxvii.  29.  So  God  has  always  con- 
trolled as  he  listed,  all  the  mighty  conquerors  of  his- 
tory. As  long  as  the  use  of  the  bow,  the  spear,  and 
the  chariot,  can  be  overruled  to  promote  his  wise 
and  benevolent  purposes  of  good  to  his  Church,  he 
endures  their  use :  when,  however,  he  cannot  so  over- 
rule their  use,  "  he  breaketh  the  bow,  cutteth  the 
spear  in  sunder,  and  burneth  the  chariot  in  the  fire." 
When  the  tide  of  war  would  sweep  away  his  Church, 
he  turns  it,  and  lulls  its  agitated  waves  to  rest. 

Verse  10.     Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God :  I  will  be  exalted 
among  tlie  heathen,  I  will  be  exalted  in  the  earth. 

This  is  a  direct  address  to  the  whole  heathen 
world  by  God  himself,  bidding  them  learn  from  Sen- 
nacherib's overthrow,  the  mightiest  king,  as  well  as 
conqueror  of  them  all,  that  it  is  vain  to  contend 
against  his  people,  that  their  help  and  champion 
must  be  Divine.  He  also  adds,  "I  will  be  exalted 
among  the  heathen,  I  will  be  exalted  in  the  earth:" 
and  the  history  informs  us  that  his  dealings  with  the 
king  of  Assyria  did  "  exalt  him  among  the  heathen:" 
many,  we  read,  brought  gifts  unto  the  Lord  to  Jeru- 
salem, when  they  heard  how  the  Lord  had  saved 
Israel,  and  also  presents  to  Hezekiah,  so  that  he  was 
magnified  in  the  sight  of  all  nations  from  hence- 
forth." 2  Chron.  xxxii.  23.  The  wonderful  manner 
in  which  he  had  delivered  his  people  out  of  the  hand 
of  Sennacherib,  convinced  even  the  heathen  world. 


PSALM   XLVI.  547 

for  the  time  being,  that  the  God  of  the  Hebrews  was 

the  true  God. 

Verse  11.     The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us:  the  God  of  Jacob  is 
our  refuge.     Selali. 

To  no  other  conckision  can  the  IsraeUtes  come,  in 
no  other  words  can  they  close  their  anthem  of  praise 
for  the  deliverance  wrought  out  for  them!  And  yet 
cannot  we,  as  Christians,  say,  with  even  greater  em- 
phasis and  significance  than  God's  Israel  of  old  said 
it,  "The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us;  the  God  of  Jacob  is 
our  Refuge"'?  This  Lord  of  hosts  has  since  revealed 
himself  to  us  in  Christ.  We  know  who  he  is,  for  he 
visited  us  in  our  human  nature !  We  know  the  kind- 
ness of  his  heart,  that  he  wept  with  those  that  wept, 
and  shed  tears  over  those  whom  his  love  could  not 
reclaim.  We  know  the  greatness  of  his  power,  that  he 
said  to  the  angry  winds  and  waves,  "Peace!  be  still!" 
and  they  obeyed;  to  the  dead  Lazarus,  "Come  forth!" 
and  he  that  was  dead  came  forth  and  took  his 
place  among  the  living  I  We  know  his  readiness  to 
comfort  the  disconsolate !  How  sweet  were  his  words 
to  such,  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  He  is  not  one 
who  cannot  be  touched  with  sympathy  for  our  infirmi- 
ties. He  became  man  that  he  might  enter  into 
every  feeling  of  the  human  heart.  The  lowly,  and 
the  lofty !  a  Man  of  sorrows,  and  yet  the  Lord  Al- 
mighty! No  Sennacherib  can  encamp  against  us 
with  a  host  so  formidable  that  He  cannot  destroy 
them  and  set  us  free.  Nor  earth,  nor  hell,  can  do  us 
harm,  having  him  as  our  Help. 

"  The  soul  that  to  Jestis  has  fled  for  repose, 
I  will  not,  I  will  not  desert  to  his  foes; 
That  soul,  though  all  hell  shall  endeavour  to  shake, 
I'll  never — no  never — no  never  forsake." 


548  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Let  us  all,  then,  take  refuge  in  Him  who  died  on 
Calvary,  and  then  shall  we  be  able  to  say,  in  all 
time  of  our  tribulation,  in  all  time  of  our  prosperity, 
in  the  hour  of  death,  and  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
"the  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us;  the  God  of  Jacob  is 
our  E-efuge.     Selah." 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XLVII. 

The  historical  basis  of  this  psalm  is  the  confederate 
invasion  of  Judah  by  the  children  of  Ammon,  Moab, 
and  Mount  Seir,  for  the  purpose  of  dispossessing 
Israel  of  their  land.  2  Chron.  xx.  1-30.  Aware  of 
this  hostile  purpose,  and  knowing,  too,  that  he  had 
no  military  force  sufficient  to  meet  the  invading 
enemy,  Jehoshaphat,  then  reigning  at  Jerusalem, 
addressing  himself  to  seeking  Divine  aid,  proclaimed 
a  fast  throughout  all  Judah.  The  people's  response 
to  their  sovereign's  call  to  fasting  and  prayer  was 
with  one  mind  and  one  heart.  And  Jehoshaphat, 
standing  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation  assembled 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  prayed  thus,  "  O  Lord  God 
of  our  fathers,  art  not  thou  God  in  heaven'?  and 
rulest  not  thou  over  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  heathen^ 
and  in  thine  hand  is  there  not  power  and  might,  so 
that  none  is  able  to  withstand  thee"?  Art  not  thou 
our  God,  who  didst  drive  out  the  inhabitants  of  this 
land  before  thy  people  Israel,  and  gavest  it  to  the  seed 
of  Abraham,  thy  friend,  for  ever'?  And  they  built 
therein,  and  have  built  thee  a  sanctuary  therein  for 
thy  name,  saying,  If,  when  evil  cometh  upon  us,  as  the 


PSALM   XLVII.  549 

sword,  judgment,  or  pestilence,  or  famine,  we  stand 
before  this  house,  and  in  thy  presence  cry  unto  thee 
in  our  affliction,  then  thou  wilt  hear  and  help.  And 
now.  Lord,  behold,  the  children  of  Ammon,  and 
Moab,  and  Mount  Seir,  Avhom  thou  wouldest  not  let 
Israel  invade,  when  they  came  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  but  they  turned  aside  from  them  and  de- 
stroyed them  not:  behold,  I  say,  how  they  reward 
us,  to  come  and  cast  us  out  of  thy  possession,  which 
thou  hast  given  unto  us  to  inherit.  O  our  God, 
wilt  thou  not  judge  theml  for  we  have  no  might 
against  this  great  company  that  cometh  against  us; 
neither  know  we  what  to  do :  but  our  eyes  are  upon 
thee." 

This  humble  appeal  to  God's  covenant  fidelity  as 
the  God  of  Israel  was  not  in  vain;  for  he  imme- 
diately answered,  "Be  not  afraid,  nor  dismayed,  by 
reason  of  this  great  multitude ;  for  the  battle  is  not 
yours,  but  God's.  To-morrow  go  ye  down  against 
them:  behold,  they  come  up  by  the  cliff  of  Ziz; 
and  ye  shall  find  them  at  the  end  of  the  brook, 
before  the  wilderness  of  Jeruel.  Ye  shall  not  need 
to  fight  in  this  battle ;  set  yourselves  [in  battle  array,] 
but  stand  ye  still  in  your  places,  and  see  the  salva- 
tion of  the  Lord  with  you,  O  Judah  and  Jeru- 
salem :  fear  not,  nor  be  dismayed ;  to-morrow  go  out 
against  them;  for  the  Lord  will  be  with  you.  And 
Jehoshaphat  bowed  his  head,  with  his  face  to  the 
ground:  and  all  Judah  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jeru- 
salem fell  before  the  Lord,  worshipping  the  Lord. 
And  the  Levites  of  the  children  of  the  Kohathites, 
and  of  the  children  of  the  Korhites,  stood  up  to 
praise  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  with  a  loud  voice 
on  high.     And  they  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and 


650  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

went  forth  into  the  wilderness  of  Tekoa:  and  as 
they  went  forth,  Jehoshaphat  stood  and  said,  Hear 
me,  O  Jndah,  and  ye  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem;  be- 
lieve in  the  Lord  your  God,  so  shall  ye  be  establish- 
ed; believe  his  prophets,  so  shall  ye  prosper."  He 
also  appointed  singers  that  should  go  before  the 
army,  and  say,  "Praise  the  Lord;  for  his  mercy  en- 
dureth  for  ever."  Thus  they  approached  the  camp  of 
the  enemy  with  songs;  "and  when  they  began  to  sing 
and  to  praise,  the  Lord  sent  ambushments  against 
the  children  of  Ammon,  Moab,  and  Mount  Seir, 
which  were  come  against  Judah;  and  they  were 
smitten  [that  is,  by  each  other.]  For  the  children 
of  Ammon  and  Moab  stood  up  against  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Mount  Seir,  utterly  to  slay  and  destroy  them; 
and  when  they  had  made  an  end  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Seir,  every  one  helped  to  destroy  another." 

The  confederates  being  divinely  bewildered,  the 
ambushes  which  they  had  laid  for  Israel  turned  their 
swords  against  each  other,  till  not  a  man  of  them 
remained.  The  victory  had  been  achieved  for  Israel 
without  their  raising  a  hand.  All  that  they  had  to 
do  was  to  enrich  themselves  with  the  spoil  of  their 
self-slaughtered  enemies;  spoil  of  riches  and  pre- 
cious jewels  so  great  that  they  were  three  days 
gathering  it.  This  signal  deliverance  of  Israel  out 
of  the  hands  of  their  enemies  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  occasion  of  the  singing  of  this  forty-seventh 
psalm.  It  seems  to  have  been  sung  for  the  first  time 
in  the  very  place  where  the  deliverance  was  vouch- 
safed them,  for  on  the  fourth  day,  (2  Chron.  xx.  26,) 
three  having  been  consumed  in  gathering  the  spoil, 
the  men  of  Judah  assembled  themselves  in  the  Val- 
ley of  Berachah — the  Valley  of  Blessing — so  called 


PSALM   XLVII.  551 

because  there  they  blessed  the  Lord,  offered  up  to 
him  an  ovation  of  homage,  praise,  and  thanksgiving; 
which  ovation  was,  no  doubt,  this  very  psalm,  open- 
ing with  the  words. 

Verse  1.    0  clap  your  hands,  all  ye  people;  stout  unto  God  with 
the  voice  of  triumph. 

It  may  seem  strange  to  some  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  should  call  upon  all  people  to  laud  him  for  what 
he  had  done  for  Israel.  It  would  certainly  be  diffi- 
cult for  the  nations  whom  he  had  just  stricken,  to 
respond  to  the  call.  And  yet  what  God  had  done 
for  Israel  was  really  cause  for  joy  to  the  whole  Gen- 
tile world.  For  what  he  had  done  for  Israel  was  a 
proclamation  of  what  he  would  do  for  all  nations 
who  should  take  refuge  in  him  as  Israel  had  done. 
God  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  but  in  every  nation 
he  that  feareth  him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is 
accepted  with  him.  Acts  x.  34,  35.  Elsewhere, 
(Psalm  xcvi.  1;  cxvii.  1,)  all  the  earth,  all  nations, 
all  people,  are  called  on  to  rejoice  in  God's  mercies 
to  Israel;  to  rejoice  in  them  as  illustrations  of  the 
mercies  he  had  in  reserve  for  all  who  should  turn  to 
him.  Viewing  God's  mercies  to  them  in  this  light, 
Israel  could  with  propriety  call  on  all  people  to  clap 
their  hands,  and  shout  unto  God  with  the  voice  of 
triumph. 

Verse  2.     For  the  Lord  Most  High  is  terrible;  he  is  a  great 
King  over  all  the  earth. 

And  therefore  King  of  the  heathen,  as  well  as  of 
his  own  chosen  people.  Not  a  local,  but  a  universal 
King,  who  would  rule  over  the  heathen  as  tenderly 
as  he  ruled  over  Israel,  when  they  too  should  seek 
him  as  their  Refuge.  This  fact,  then,  should  be 
cause  of  joy  to  them,  even  while  suffering   under 


552  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

his  hand,  "The  Lord  Most  High  is  terrible" — ter- 
rible indeed!  but  only  to  his  enemies  and  the  ene- 
mies of  his  people;  only  to  those,  who,  if  they  were 
to  realize  the  wickedness  of  their  hearts,  would  turn 
earth  into  a  pandemonium,  and  the  universe  into  a 
hell.  He  does  indeed  look  down  with  stern  and 
awfiil  majesty  upon  the  wicked  going  on  still  in  his 
wickedness,  but  with  ineffable  tenderness  upon  him 
who  hath  turned  away  from  his  wickedness,  and  is 
seeking  that  which  is  lawful  and  right. 

Verse  3.     He  shall  subdue  the  people  under  us,  and  the  nations 
under  our  feet. 

Every  new  victory  that  God  vouchsafes  his  people 
is  the  earnest  of  still  another.  His  past  and  present 
dealings  with  them  will  project  themselves  into  the 
future.  Hence  the  great  victory  just  given  his  people 
over  the  children  of  Ammon,  Moab,  and  Mount  Seir, 
inspires  them  to  speak  of  other  victories  which  the 
Lord  their  God  has  in  reserve  for  them.  It  is  the 
property  of  an  earnest  faith  to  anticipate  with  increas- 
ing assurance,  victory  after  victory  over  its  enemies, 
till  all  shall  at  length  be  vanquished,  and  God  reigns 
supreme  in  his  soul.  May  God  give  this  faith  to  us 
all;  the  faith  that  presses  on  with  a  step  of  always 
increasing  strength. 

Verse  4.     He  shall  choose  our  inheritance  for  us,  the  excellency 
of  Jacob  whom  he  loved.     iSelah. 

Having  defeated  the  purpose  of  their  invading 
enemy  to  dispossess  them  of  their  beautiful  land, 
(2  Chron.  xx.  11,)  God  here  leads  his  people  to 
speak  of  the  deliverance  as  a  choosing  their  inherit- 
ance anew  for  them  by  the  Lord.  AVe  are  thus 
taught  to  regard  the  preservation  of  our  blessings  in 


PSALM   XLVII.  553 

the  light  of  a  continual  first  bestowment.  It  is  even 
so ;  if  God  keep  not  continually  alive  in  our  souls  the 
grace  of  life  given  us  in  regeneration,  we  cannot  re- 
tain it  a  moment.  If  he  choose  not  at  every  moment 
our  inheritance  for  us,  watch  over  it,  guard  it,  and 
protect  it  as  a  thing  dear  to  his  heart,  alas  for  us ! 
the  enemy  enters  and  takes  possession.  There  is  no 
help  for  us  for  a  moment,  except  as  we  find  it  in 
God.  If,  however,  we  are  sincere  in  our  efforts  to 
serve  him,  we  need  not  fear.  He  will  both  choose 
our  inheritance  for  us,  and  keep  it  for  us.  He  is  in 
that  case  saying  to  us  what  he  said  to  Jehoshaphat 
and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  "  Be  not  afraid  nor 
dismayed  by  reason  of  the  great  midtitude  arrayed 
against  you;  the  battle  is  not  yours,  but  God's." 
2  Chron.  xx.  15. 

Verse  5.     God  is  gone  up  with  a  sliout,  the  Lord  with  the  sound 
of  a  trumpet. 

Like  as  a  king,  having  achieved  some  great  vic- 
tory for  his  people,  returns  in  triumph  to  the  throne 
he  had  left  for  the  occasion,  so  God,  having  won  the 
victory  for  his  people  in  the  valley  of  Ziz,  is  here 
represented  as  ascending  to  his  throne  on  high  with 
a  shout,  and  the  voice  of  a  trumpet.  This  triumphal 
procession,  escorting  Israel's  Leader  from  the  field  of 
victory  to  heaven,  is  of  course  altogether  ideal ;  never- 
theless, a  scene  which  an  excited  imagination  could 
have  readily  conceived.  The  idea  has  since,  how- 
ever, been  realized  in  the  history  of  our  Lord.  In 
his  return  to  heaven  after  his  great  victory  over  death 
and  hell,  it  was  not  an  ideal,  but  a  real  triumphal 
procession  that  escorted  him  thither.  We  accord- 
ingly read  that,  as  he  ascended  in  the  presence  of  his 
disciples,  "  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight." 
47 


554  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Acts  i.  9.  That  cloud,  luminous  above  the  light  of 
the  sun,  was  doubtless  an  angelic  host.  This  is 
confirmed  by  the  exposition  generally  given  of  the 
twenty-fourth  psalm.  As  the  angelic  host,  there 
represented  as  escorting  Messiah  back  to  his  throne, 
approach  the  golden  city,  they  raise  the  cry,  "  Lift 
up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates;  and  be  ye  Hft  up,  ye 
everlasting  doors,  and  the  King  of  Glory  shall  come 
in;"  and,  in  answer  to  the  demand  of  the  angels 
standing  upon  the  watch-towers  of  the  city,  "Who 
is  this  King  of  Glory'?"  they  reply,  "the  Lord  strong 
and  mighty,  the  Lord  mighty  in  battle:  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  he  is  the  King  of  glory."  Applied  then — as 
this  verse  may  be,  and  was  doubtless  meant  to  be — to 
Christ  and  his  ascension  to  heaven,  there  is  no  exag- 
geration in  the  words,  "God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout, 
the  Lord  with  the  sound  of  a  trumpet."  He  was 
attended  to  the  skies  by  such  a  triumphal  and  laud- 
ing procession  as  the  universe  had  never  seen  before, 
and  will  never  see  again  till  the  same  Jesus  shall  so 
come  in  like  manner  as  he  was  seen  to  go  into 
heaven.  Acts.  i.  11. 

Verse  6.    Sing  praises  to  God,  sing  praises:  sing  praises  to  our 
King,  sing  praises. 

If  we  apply,  as  the  Spirit  of  inspiration  evidently 
designed  that  we  should  apply  them,  the  words, 
"  God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout,  the  Lord  with  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet,"  to  Christ,  these  repeated  calls 
to  praise  Israel's  King  are  beautifully  in  place.  We 
cannot  praise  him  too  often,  nor  too  long.  If  for  the 
victory  achieved  for  Jehoshaphat  and  his  people  over 
their  enemies  in  the  valley  of  Ziz,  they  returned  to 
Jerusalem  praising  the  Lord  all  the  way  with  psal- 
teries, and  harps,  and  trumpets,  (2  Chron.  xx.  27,  28,) 


PSALM   XLVII.  555 

how  much  more  fervid  should  our  praises  be  of  him 
for  the  victory  which  he  hath  achieved  for  us — a 
victory  wherein  he  spoiled  the  spoiler  of  all,  and 
opened  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  believers.  To 
praise  our  King  for  such  a  victory  as  this,  eternity, 
eternity  will  be  none  too  long,  and  the  tongue  of 
Cherubim  none  too  fervid.  Then  "sing  ye  praises 
to  God,  sing  praises;  sing  praises  to  our  King,  sing 
praises." 

Verses  7,  8.  For  God  is  the  King  of  all  the  earth :  sing  ye  praises 
with  understanding.  Grod  reigneth  over  the  heathen :  God 
sitteth  upon  the  throne  of  his  holiness. 

In  these  verses  we  have  the  reasons  assigned  why 
all  men,  every  one  that  hath  understanding,  should 
praise  our  King.  They  should  praise  him  because 
he  is  the  King  of  all  men,  reigneth  over  the  heathen 
as  well  as  over  the  Israelite,  over  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth  as  well  as  over  the  Holy  Land.  That  he 
ruleth  over  the  heathen,  he  had  just  shown  by  the 
fearful  manner  he  had  just  punished  them.  God's 
rule  extends  to  all  creatures  and  to  all  events — not 
one  is  excepted.  "  God  sitteth  upon  the  throne  of 
his  holiness."  The  Divine  rule  is  as  pure  as  it  is 
universal.  The  Judge  of  aU  the  earth  never  fails  to 
do  right.  His  throne  is  a  great  white  throne.  No 
stain  of  injustice  has  ever  sullied  its  brightness. 
These  things  should  excite  every  mind  to  praise 
God.  How  glorious  the  thought  that  we  and  all 
belonging  to  us  are  under  the  protection,  not  only  of 
an  omnipotent  and  universal,  but  also  of  a  holy  gov- 
ernment, a  government  as  infinitely  incapable  of 
doing  us  wrong,  as  it  is  infinitely  able  and  willing  to 
help  us.  And  with  what  an  increase  of  interest 
should  this  government  be  invested  to  our  minds, 


556  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

who  know  that  it  is  presided  over  by  Him  who 
became  man  and  dwelt  among  us,  and  died  for  us  on 
Calvary!  Surely  we  need  not  fear  infinite  power  in 
his  hands.  He  who  took  little  children  in  his  arms 
and  blessed  them,  saying,  "  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven:"  and  said  to  a  dying  thief,  "to-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  paradise,"  surely  He  can  admin- 
ister the  government  of  the  universe  only  in  love! 

Verse  9.  The  princes  of  the  people  are  gathered  together,  even 
the  people  of  the  God  of  Abraham:  for  the  shields  of  the 
earth  belong  unto  God :  he  is  greatly  exalted. 

"The  shields  of  the  earth"  are  its  rulers,  so  called 
because  they  should  be  to  their  people  what  his 
shield  is  to  the  soldier,  his  safety  and  defence. 
These  shields,  these  ruling  ones  of  the  world,  God 
declares  to  belong  to  him,  that  he  has  as  absolute  a 
right  to  their  service  as  he  has  to  the  service  of 
their  subjects.  "The  princes  of  the  people  gathered 
together,  even  as  the  people  of  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham," were  princes  of  Gentile  nations,  who  should 
profess  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  and  thus  become  par- 
takers with  Abraham  of  the  great  salvation.  Their 
conversion  would  necessarily  result  from  the  King  of 
Zion  being  the  God  and  King  of  the  whole  earth, 
and  ruling  in  holiness.  "He  is  greatly  exalted." 
Greatly  exalted  indeed  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son,  "the 
brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his 
person."  Heb.  i.  3.  Philip  said,  "Lord,  show  us  the 
Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us."  Jesus  answered  him, 
"Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you  and  yet  hast 
thou  not  known  me,  Philip'?  he  that  hath  seen  me, 
hath  seen  the  Father,  and  how  sayest  thou  then, 
Show  us  the  Father]"  John  xiv.  8,  9.  I  want  no 
other  words  than  these  to  charm  away  the  disqui- 


PSALM   XLVIII.  557 

etudes  of  my  guilty  breast  and  lead  me  to  trust  im- 
plicitly in  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  our  God.  He  such 
as  Jesus  was!  His  heart  as  tender,  his  love  as  large"? 
O  yes,  he  that  hath  seen  Jesus,  hath  seen  the  Father. 
This  is  the  thought  that  hath  exalted  him  in  heaven 
and  in  earth,  as  he  was  never  exalted  before.  This  is 
the  thought  that  hath  subdued  the  nations  under  him, 
and  will  subdue  them  under  him,  "  till  the  kingdoms 
of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord 
and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and 
ever."  Rev.  xi.  15.  May  we  all  become  the  loving 
subjects  of  him  who  "  ascended  on  high,  leading  cap- 
tivity captive."  Ps.  Ixviii.  18. 


LECTURE   ON   PSALM   XLVIII. 

As  the  preceding  psalm  seems  to  have  been  first 
sung  in  the  wilderness  of  Tekoa,  in  the  very  place 
where  God  had  achieved  a  signal  victory  for  his  peo- 
ple over  the  children  of  Ammon,  Moab,  and  Mount 
■Seir,  (2  Chron.  xx.  23-26,)  so  this  psalm — evidently 
commemorative  of  the  same  event — seems  to  have 
been  first  sung  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem.  We 
accordingly  read  that  the  Israelites  having  blessed 
the  Lord  in  the  valley  of  Berachah,  then  returned, 
every  man  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  and  Jehoshaphat 
in  the  fore-front  of  them,  to  go  again  to  Jerusalem 
with  joy;  for  the  Lord  had  made  them  to  rejoice 
over  their  enemies.  "  And  they  came  to  Jerusalem 
with  psalteries,  and  harps,  and  trumpets,  unto  the 
house  of  the  Lord."  2  Chron.  xx.  27,  28.  If  we  are 
47* 


558  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

right   in  what  we  have  supposed  the  occasion  on 

which  this  psalm  was  composed  and  sung,  no  words 

could  be  more  suitable  to  such  an  occasion  than  the 

words  with  which  it  opens. 

Yerse  1.     Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly  to  be  praised  in  tlie 
city  of  our  God,  in  the  mountain  of  his  holiness. 

God's  greatness  is  visible  everywhere.  "We  can 
penetrate  to  no  part  of  his  universe  where  we  will 
not  discover  tokens  of  his  infinite  power,  wisdom, 
and  goodness.  It  is,  however,  in  his  Church,  "in 
the  mountain  of  his  holiness,"  they  are  most  con- 
spicuously seen,  and  excite  to  the  highest  praise. 
There  alone  he  is  made  to  appear  the  glorious  Being 
that  he  truly  is!  There  every  attribute  of  his  in- 
finite nature  is  made  to  harmonize  with  every  other, 
and  the  whole  combine  to  proclaim  him  perfect. 
How  sublime  the  idea  we  acquire  of  his  greatness  in 
the  revelation  of  his  character  given  in  the  Church 
planted  with  his  own  hand,  and  watered  with  his 
own  blood!  "An  idea,"  says  Robert  Hall,  "which 
has  this  peculiar  property;  that  as  it  admits  of  no 
substitute,  so,  from  the  first  moment  it  is  formed,  it 
is  capable  of  continual  growth  and  enlargement. 
God  himself  is  immutable;  but  our  conception  of  his- 
character  is  continually  receiving  fresh  accessions,  is 
continually  growing  more  extended  and  refulgent,  by 
having  transferred  to  it  some  new  element  of  beauty 
and  goodness,  by  attracting  to  itself,  as  a  centre, 
whatever  bears  the  impress  of  dignity,  order,  or  hap- 
piness. It  borrows  splendour  from  all  that  is  fair, 
subordinates  to  itself  all  that  is  great,  and  "sits 
enthroned  on  the  riches  of  the  universe."  God 
alone  is  great!  the  God  of  revelation  and  of  redeem- 
ing love ! 


PSALM   XLVIII.  659 

Verse  2.  Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  tlie  whole  earth,  is 
mount  Zion,  on  the  sides  of  the  north,  the  city  of  the  great 
King. 

"Jerusalem,"  says  a  writer,  who  saw  it  a  few  cen- 
turies before  the  Christian  era,  "is  situated  in  the 
midst  of  mountains,  on  a  lofty  hill,  whose  summit  is 
crowned  with  the  magnificent  temple,  girt  with  three 
walls  seventy  cubits  high,  of  proportionate  thickness, 
and  length  corresponding  to  the  extent  of  the  build- 
ing." Approached  from  the  south,  as  it  was  by 
Jehoshaphat  and  his  returning  soldiers,  it  must  have 
been  to  them  a  sight,  beautiful  indeed!  How  differ- 
ent from  what  they  feared,  only  four  days  before,  it 
would  have  been  at  this  time!  Then  the  foot  of 
pride  was  advancing  against  it,  and  the  hand  of  vio- 
lence, to  cast  it  down.  But  there — high  and  lifted 
up  on  its  mountain  foundation  of  everlasting  rock, 
and  appearing  as  if  stretching  far  away  into  the 
regions  of  the  north — it  still  stands!  "the  joy  of  the 
whole  earth:"  the  city  whence  at  length  should  go 
forth  the  religion  that  would  gladden  all  lands — for 
salvation  is  of  the  Jews,  (John  iv.  22) — and  guide 
their  feet  into  the  ways  of  truth  and  peace.  "The 
city  of  the  great  King."  These  words  disclose  the 
secret  of  its  preservation.  It  still  stood  in  all  its 
strength  and  beauty,  because  it  was  the  royal  abode 
of  the  Most  High.  His  presence  in  it  was  at  once 
its  defence  and  glory.  Glorious  as  the  temple  was 
in  itself — more  glorious  than  anything  the  world 
ever  saw  beside — its  chief  glory  was  not  in  its  exter- 
nal splendour,  but  in  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  in  the 
divine  Shechmah,  shining  in  its  holy  of  holies.  It 
was  this  thought,  the  presence  of  God  in  it  as  its 
King,  that  made  Jerusalem  appear  so  beautiful  to 


660  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

the  eye  of  the  devout  Israelite.  And  it  is  this  same 
thought  that  should  make  our  Christian  Jerusalem 
equally  beautiful  in  our  eyes.  It  is  "  the  city  of  the 
great  King,"  of  him  whom  God  himself  enthroned 
on  his  holy  hill  of  Zion.  Ps.  ii.  6. 

Verse  3.  God  is  known  in  her  palaces  for  a  refuge. 
To  the  truth  of  this,  every  one  can  bear  witness, 
who  has  placed  himself  under  the  protection  of  the 
King  of  Zion.  Once  in  "  the  city  of  the  great  King," 
through  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  is  made  continually  to  feel  that 
he  is  in  a  city  of  refuge,  where  no  evil  can  overtake 
him,  where  no  avenger  of  blood  can  come  to  slay  him. 
"God  is  known  in"  his  Church,  by  all  those  who 
seek  him  with  their  whole  heart  as  a  sure  refuge. 
They  have  the  witness  of  the  fact  in  their  hearts. 

Verses  4-6.  For,  lo,  the  kings  were  assembled,  they  passed  by 
together.  They  saw  it,  and  so  they  marvelled;  they  were 
troubled,  and  hasted  away.  Fear  took  hold  upon  them  there, 
and  pain,  as  of  a  woman  in  travail. 

These  verses  illustrate  the  manner  in  which  God 
sometimes  makes  himself  known  as  the  protector  of 
his  people.  Now  he  appals  their  enemies  with  his 
judgments;  and  now  fills  them  with  supernatural 
fear  and  astonishment  of  heart.  "I  came,  I  saw,  I 
conquered,"  is  a  military  dispatch,  celebrated  the 
world  over.  Here,  however,  is  the  record  of  a  victory 
even  more  speedily  won.  The  first  sight  of  the  city 
of  the  great  King  put  its  enemies  to  flight:  "Fear 
took  hold  upon  them  there."  "They  saw  it,  mar- 
velled, were  troubled,  and  hasted  away."  The  sight 
of  the  city,  "beautiful  for  situation,"  recalling  the 
fearful  power  of  its  King,  filled  them  with  super- 
natural dread;  and  no  doubt  the  voice  of  the  great 


PSALM   XLVIII.  561 

King  himself  was  also  sounding  in  their  hearts, 
"Flee  for  your  lives!"  The  hearts  of  all  men  are  in 
the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  he  turneth  them  whither- 
soever he  listeth;  yet  always  so  that  not  a  soul  of  his 
true  Israel  shall  perish.  He  so  turned  the  heart  of 
the  Koman  governor,  Cestius  Gallus,  who  marched 
against  Jerusalem  with  a  force  abundantly  sufficient, 
if  he  had  pressed  the  siege  at  once,  to  have  taken 
the  city.  But,  contrary  to  the  expectations  of  all,  he 
suddenly  raised  the  siege,  and  drew  off  his  troops. 
He  could  give  no  reason  for  his  sudden  retreat,  except 
this  only,  that  there  was  an  impression  on  his  mind 
that  he  should  retreat.  Whence  came  that  impres- 
sion'? Doubtless,  from  God;  and  to  the  end  that  no 
followers  of  his  Son  should  perish  in  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  as  thousands  of  them  would  have  done, 
if  the  siege  had  been  pressed,  and  the  city  taken  at 
that  time.  Meantime,  acting  upon  the  advice  of 
their  Lord,  given  forty  years  before,  to  flee  to  the 
mountains,  when  they  should  see  the  Romans  about 
to  besiege  the  city,  all  that  believed  in  Jesus  left  the 
city;  so  that  at  the  last,  when  Titus  Vespasian  took 
it,  causing  the  death  of  more  than  a  million  Jews, 
"  we  do  not  anywhere  read  that  so  much  as  one  Chris- 
tian perished  in  the  siege  of  Jerusalem."  Verily, 
God  is  known  as  a  refuge  for  his  people!  At  one 
time  he  saves  us  by  overwhelming  our  enemies  with 
his  judgments;  at  another,  by  so  moving  upon  their 
fears,  that  they  come  not  near  us,  turn  from  us,  and 
pass  away. 

Verse  7.     Thou  breakest  tlie  ships  of  Tarsliisli  with  an   east 
wind. 

Ships  of  Tarshish  were  of  a  stronger  build,  could 
sail  rougher  seas,  and  outride  heavier  storms,  than 


562  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

any  other:  nevertheless,  "with  an  east  wind"  the 
Lord  could  break  them  in  pieces  in  an  instant,  and 
submerge  them  in  the  deep.  In  the  same  way  can  he 
also  break  in  pieces  and  overwhelm  the  most  power- 
ful of  his  enemies.  If  he  breathe  upon  them  with 
the  breath  of  his  anger,  they  disappear,  to  be  seen 
no  more.  Who  should  not  fear  such  power  arrayed 
against  him"?  Or  who  should  not  feel  safe  under  its 
protection'? 

Verse  8.  As  we  liave  heard,  so  tave  we  seen  in  the  city  of  tlie 
Lord  of  hosts,  in  the  city  of  our  God :  God  will  establish  it 
for  ever.     Selah. 

It  was  not  merely  as  a  God  of  history  and  of  hear- 
say, that  the  Israel  of  the  date  of  our  psalm  knew 
the  Lord  their  God.  All  that  their  fathers  had  told 
them  of  him,  they  had  realized  in  their  own  per- 
sonal experience.  He  still  manifested  the  same  love 
for  his  Church,  that  he  had  manifested  in  times  of 
old.  He  was  still  the  same  "very  present  help  in 
time  of  trouble."  More  signal  deliverances  he  had 
not  wrought  for  Israel,  in  the  days  of  other  years, 
than  that  which  he  had  wrought  for  them  now. 
They  could  with  truth  say,  "As  we  have  heard,  so 
have  we  seen,  in  the  city  of  the  Lord  of  hosts."  The 
mercy  just  vouchsafed  to  them  was  equal  to  any  that 
he  had  ever  vouchsafed  to  his  people  at  any  time. 
The  past  in  no  wise  excelled  the  present;  on  the  con- 
trary, the  past  seemed  to  be  repeated  in  the  present, 
radiant  with  all  its  pristine  glory  of  the  Divine 
favour.  This  was  proof  to  Israel  that  the  Lord  was 
their  God  in  as  dear,  and  intimate,  and  tender  a 
sense  as  he  was  the  God  of  their  fathers.  "God 
shall  establish  it  for  ever" — that  is,  the  city  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts.     His  love,  care,  and  protection  of  his 


PSALM  XLVIII.  563 

Church,  shall  never  cease.  He  will  make  it  for  ever 
a  sure  refuge  for  all  who  shall  seek  refuge  in  it. 
These  words  comprehend,  in  the  fulness  of  their 
meaning,  a  city  greater  than  that  erected  on  Mount 
Zion,  even  the  Church  of  God  throughout  the  whole 
world,  and  also  the  heavenly  Jerusalem.  Literally 
then,  "God  will  establish  it  for  ever;"  eternity  alone 
will  measure  the  glory  and  duration  of  "  the  city  of 
our  God." 

Verse  9.     We  have  thought  of  thy  loving-kindness,  0  God,  in 
the  midst  of  thy  temple. 

Not  that  Israel  had  thought  of  God's  loving-kind- 
ness in  the  temple  only;  they  had  first  thought  of  it 
in  a  song  of  ]3raise  in  the  very  place  where  it  had 
been  shown  them.  2  Chron.  xx.  26-28.  This  was  as 
it  should  always  be.  Our  first  song  of  praise  should 
be  in  that  place,  wherever  it  may  be,  where  God 
speaks  us  delivered  from  all  our  transgressions;  then 
should  we  return  singing,  as  Israel  did,  unto  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  there  to  repeat  our  thanksgiving 
in  a  song  that  shall  never  end,  its  notes  on  earth 
being  at  last  renewed  and  perpetuated  in  heaven. 
In  commemorating  the  same  mercy  in  his  temple  as 
that  already  commemorated  in  the  place  where  it  was 
vouchsafed  them,  it  was  the  purpose  of  grateful  Israel 
to  make  the  commemoration  national  and  perpetual ; 
to  cause  that  their  children,  and  their  children's 
children,  to  the  latest  generation,  should  chaunt  the 
greatness  of  their  God,  We  cannot  too  soon,  nor 
too  publicly,  nor  too  constantly,  praise  him  who 
hath  saved  us  from  destruction.  Special  mercies  de- 
mand special  returns  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  and 
where  else  can  they  be  so  fittingly  rendered  as  in  the 


564  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

house  of  God,  where  we  laud  and  magnify  him  for 
all  his  mercies  1 

"Verse  10.  According  to  fhy  name,  0  God,  so  is  tliy  praise 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth :  thy  right  hand  ia  full  of  right- 
eousness. 

The  7iame  of  God,  as  the  word  is  here  used,  evi- 
dently means  the  character  he  has  developed  in  his 
moral  government  of  the  world.  The  character  thus 
developed  constitutes  his  name — that  whereby  we 
know  him.  To  history  then,  as  well  as  to  revelation, 
we  must  go  to  learn  the  name  of  God.  And  what 
does  history,  not  of  his  own  people  only,  but  the  his- 
tory of  all  nations  prove  him  to  be]  A  God  of 
power  and  righteousness! — a  God  who  can  do  what- 
soever he  pleaseth,  and  yet  a  God  who  doeth  all 
things  well !  Powerful  as  his  right  hand  is,  it  is  full 
of  righteousness.  No  stain  of  injustice  has  ever  dis- 
figured any  act  of  his  power.  Wherever  this  idea  of 
the  name  of  God — an  idea  specially  developed  in  his 
dealings  with  his  own  people — prevails,  it  cannot 
but  make  him  an  object  of  praise  even  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth.  If  all  men  do  not  render  unto  his 
name,  as  thus  learned,  the  homage  of  their  hearts, 
they  will  at  least  render  unto  it  the  homage  of  their 
intellects;  stand  in  awe  of  it,  if  they  do  not  love  it. 
The  fear  of  God  was  on  all  the  kingdoms  of  those 
countries  surrounding  Israel,  when  they  had  heard 
that  the  Lord  fought  against  their  enemies.  2  Chron. 
XX.  29.  Heathen  as  they  were,  they  rendered  a 
heart-felt  homage  to  the  power,  if  not  to  the  right- 
eousness of  God.  Just  in  proportion  as  they  learned 
his  name,  understood  his  character,  just  in  that  pro- 
portion they  stood  in  awe  of  him.  It  is  therefore 
imdoubtedly   true,   as   a   general   proposition,   that 


PSALM   XLVIII.  565 

according  as  God's  name  is  known  among  any  peo- 
ple, so  will  their  praise  of  him  be.  This  fact  should 
teach  us  the  great  importance  of  a  correct  and  ex- 
tended knowledge  of  God. 

Verse  11.  Let  mount  Zion  rejoice,  let  tlie  daugLters  of  Juclah 
be  glad,  because  of  thy  judgments. 

Mount  Zion,  here  stands  for  Jerusalem;  and  the 
"  daughters  of  Judah"  for  the  other  towns  of  the  king- 
dom, all  of  whom  would  have  suffered  equally  with 
Jerusalem,  if  God  had  not,  by  his  judgments,  pre- 
vented the  enemy  from  coming  against  them.  All, 
therefore,  are  exhorted  to  rejoice  with  the  holy  city, 
still  standing  in  all  its  integrity  and  beauty.  If  our 
hearts  are  right,  we  will  rejoice  in  the  mercy  shown 
to  any  part  of  the  Church  of  God. 

Verses  12,  13.  Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her:  tell 
the  towers  thereof.  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks,  consider  her 
palaces ;  that  ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generation  following. 

Jerusalem  was  one  of  the  most  strongly  fortified 
places  in  the  world.  High  and  lifted  up  on  its 
mountain  site,  it  was  surrounded  on  three  .sides  by 
deep  precipitous  valleys.  But  besides  these  naturally 
all  but  impassable  trenches,  there  sprung  from  their 
precipitous  sides  a  wall  of  circumvallation,  here  called 
bulwarks^  of  extraordinary  height  and  thickness;  and 
upon  this  wall,  at  a  short  distance  from  each  other, 
and  rising  high  above  it  at  their  base,  were  towers  of 
surprising  size  and  strength.  The  palaces  which  we 
are  called  on  to  consider,  were  the  temple,  with  the 
buildings  surrounding  it  and  belonging  to  it,  stand- 
ing on  Mount  Moriah,  and  forming  together  the  most 
magnificent  group  of  buildings  upon  which  the  sun 
ever  shone;  and  so  elevated  as  to  be  visible  from 
every  part  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country. 
48 


566  LECTURES    ON    THE    PSALMS. 

This  was  the  strong  and  glorious  city  in  whose  pre- 
servation Jerusalem,  and  all  the  daughters  of  Judah, 
were  called  on  to  rejoice  and  be  glad.  Not  a  stone 
in  the  ramparts  environing  it,  nor  one  of  its  towers, 
nor  one  of  its  sacred  edifices,  bore  the  mark  of  a 
hostile  hand.  This  was  Jerusalem,  while  the  first 
temple  was  yet  standing;  the  city  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  second  temple,  though  vastly  inferior 
to  its  predecessor,  was  nevertheless  remarkable  for 
the  beauty  of  its  sacred  edifices,  and  especially  for 
the  strength  of  its  fortifications.  For  when  Titus, 
the  Roman  General — God  having  at  last  forsaken 
it — took  the  city,  he  was  amazed  at  his  success,  ex- 
claiming, as  he  gazed  upon  its  defences,  "  Surely,  we 
have  had  God  for  our  help  in  the  war;  for  what 
could  human  hands,  or  human  engines,  do  against 
these  towers'?  It  is  no  other  than  God  who  has 
expelled  the  Jews  from  their  fortifications."  Of 
course,  all  that  is  here  said  of  the  great  external 
strength  and  beauty  of  Jerusalem  in  Judea,  may  be 
applied  .mystically  to  another  city — the  heavenly 
Jerusalem — the  Church  of  him  who  in  the  beginning 
was  with  God,  and  was  God,  but  became  flesh,  and 
dwelt  among  us.  And  applying  the  words  to  the 
Church  of  Christ,  we  say,  "Walk  about  Zion,  and 
go  round  about  her:  tell  the  towers  thereof.  Mark 
ye  well  her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces."  And 
what  are  the  bulwarks,  the  ramparts,  the  impreg- 
nable wall  of  circumvallation  around  our  Zion"? — 
The  Divinity  of  her  King,  the  Godhead  of  Him  who 
redeemed  her.  And  what  are  some  of  her  towers "? — 
Prophecy — miracles — a  perfect  rule  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice— the  character  of  Jesus — a  divinely  instituted 
ministry,  to  whom  the  promise  reads,  "  Lo,  I  am  with 


PSALM   XLVIII. 


567 


you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  Matt, 
xxviii.    20;    and    also,    higher   than   all   the    other 
towers,  and  shedding  celestial  effulgence  over  them 
all,  the  tower  of  Divine  influences.     These  are  some 
of 'the  towers  builded  upon  the   encircling  wall  of 
our  Zion;  and  what  have  human  hands,  or  human 
engines,  done  against  them  to  do  them  harm]     No- 
thing—literally nothing.     They  stand  now  as  they 
stood  thousands  of  years  ago;  and  as  they  will  stand 
thousands  hence,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.    May 
we  not  also  consider  the  palaces  of  our  Zion  as  em- 
bracing all  the  great  and  precious  promises  of  pardon, 
peace,  and  everlasting  life,  which  God  has  given  us 
in  the  gospel  of  his  Son]— promises,  each  of  which 
is  indeed  as  a  beautiful  house  of  refuge,  a  palace  of 
mercy,  a  sanctuary  of  the  Lord,  to  a  soul  weary  of 
its  sins,  and  anxious  to  escape  from  them  to  a  place 
of  safety.     O  how  spiritually  homeless  and  houseless 
would  we  be  in  this  world  without  the  precious  pro- 
mises of  the  gospel  in  which  to  take  shelter  from 
fear  of  the  wrath  to  come.    But  in  these,  as  in  sacred 
refuges,  we  may  dwell  until  we  are  transferred  to  our 
Father's  house  of  many  palaces. 

Verse  U.  For  this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever:  he  will 
be  our  guide  even  unto  death. 
And  certainly  He  who  so  cares  for  us  all  our  lives 
through,  "even  unto  death,"  will  at  death  receive  us 
unto  himself,  that  "where  he  is,  there  we  may  be 
also."  Not  for  time  only  is  he  our  God,  but  "  our 
God  for  ever  and  ever."  The  earthly  Jerusalem 
which  he  so  long  and  tenderly  cherished,  was  long 
ago  a  heap  of  ruins:  but  the  heavenly  Jerusalem, 
which  the  earthly  but  prefigured,  remains  with  all  its 
walls  and  towers  and  palaces  still  standing,  and  to 


568  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

stand  for  ever.  Its  walls  of  gold  and  precious  stones, 
and  gates  of  pearl,  and  its  streets  paved  with  pure 
gold,  and  its  river  of  the  waters  of  life  flowing 
through  the  midst  of  it,  will  never  pass  away.  Eev. 
xxi.  10,  11,  &c.  To  that  Mount  Zion  the  ransomed 
of  the  Lord  return,  and  come  with  songs  and  ever- 
lasting joy  upon  their  heads:  they  obtain  joy  and 
gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  flee  away.  And 
then  they  begin  to  learn,  as  they  gaze  upon  the  face 
of  Him  who  redeemed  us,  the  full  import  of  the 
words,  "  this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever." 


LECTURE   ON  PSALM  XLIX. 

Verses  1,  2.     Hear  this,  all  ye  people :  give  ear,  all  ye  inhabit- 
ants of  the  world :  both  low  and  high,  rich  and  poor,  together. 

The  Hebrew  people  were  for  a  long  time  the  reli- 
gious ear  of  the  whole  earth.  "What  they  heard, 
they  heard  not  for  themselves  only,  but  for  "all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  world.  Both  low  and  high,  rich 
and  poor  together,"  were  as  deeply  interested  in  what 
they  heard  at  the  mouth  of  their  prophets,  as  they 
themselves  were.  "  Hear  this,"  is  God's  command  to 
every  descendant  of  Adam  in  regard  to  every  doc- 
trine, precept,  and  promise  of  his  word.  The  truth 
he  revealed  to  his  prophets  is  catholic  truth.  He 
confined  the  revelation  to  his  own  people,  only  until 
He  came,  who  is  the  centre,  sun,  and  soul  of  the  whole 
system,  when  he  gave  the  command,  "  Go  ye  into  all 
the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 


PSALM    XLIX.  569 

Mark  xvi.  15.     Thus  that  which  was  originally  de- 
signed for  all,  found  its  way  to  all. 

Verses  3,  4.  My  moutli  shall  speak  of  wisdom ;  and  the  medi- 
tation of  my  heart  shall  be  of  understanding.  I  -will  incline 
mine  ear  to  a  parable :  I  will  open  my  dark  saying  upon  the 
harp. 

The  wisdom  and  understanding  of  which  the 
writer  here  speaks,  is  the  knowledge  of  divine  things 
which  is  from  above.  The  words  indicate  that  what 
he  is  about  to  say  is  not  a  dictum  of  his  own,  but  of 
the  Divine  Spirit.  "I  Avill  incline  mine  ear  to  a 
parable" — a  listener  before  he  was  a  speaker.  The 
parable  of  which  he  speaks,  is  this  whole  psalm, 
wherein  the  Divine  Spirit  compares  the  earthly 
condition  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  and 
shows  the  righteous  that,  however  much  the  wicked 
may  sometimes  have  the  advantage  over  them  in 
temporal,  they  shall  in  the  end  have  dominion  over 
the  wicked  in  eternal  blessings.  This  then  is  the 
"dark  saying"  which  the  divine  singer  proposes  to 
open  "upon  the  harp;"  that  is,  the  adversity  of  the 
righteous,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  con- 
sidered in  the  prospect  of  eternity  and  human  immor- 
tality. (See  verses  14  and  15.)  Whether  or  not  he 
understood  the  import  of  his  words  as  fully  as  we 
do,  it  is  not  for  us  to  say.  His  subject  may  not  have 
been  a  dark  saying  to  his  own  mind,  and  he  may 
have  called  it  such  only  because  he  knew  it  would 
be  dark  to  the  minds  of  most  hearers.  Human  im- 
mortality and  future  recompense  is  certainly  not  a 
dark  saying  to  our  minds,  who  see  it  in  the  light 
shed  over  it  by  the  gospel. 

Verse  5.     Wherefore  should  I  fear  in  the  days  of  evil,  when  the 
iniquity  of  my  heels  shall  compass  me  about  ? 

48* 


670  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Critics  propose,  as  required  by  the  Hebrew,  instead 
of  "  the  iniquity  of  my  heels,"  "  the  violence  of  my 
supplanters,"  treaders-down,  tramplers,  oppressors,  of 
those  dogging  my  every  step  to  give  me  a  trip  and  a 
fall.  The  old  translation  seems  to  give  the  true 
sense  of  the  verse,  which  reads,  "  Wherefore  should 
I  fear  in  the  days  of  evil,  when  iniquity  shall 
compass  me  about,  as  at  my  heels'?"  The  question 
implies  a  strong  negative,  that  he  should  not  fear, 
even  when  his  enemies  are  doing  their  utmost  to 
injure  him.  It  should  be  all  along  borne  in  mind 
who  the  I  of  this  verse  is,  that  it  is  the  person  who 
says  of  the  wicked  in  the  14th  verse,  "the  up- 
right shall  have  dominion  over  them  in  the  morn- 
ing:" and  of  himself  in  the  15th,  "God  will  re- 
deem my  soul  from  the  power  of  the  grave:  for  he 
shall  receive  me."  The  speaker  is  a  person  who 
realizes  that  he  has  one  interest,  and  that,  his  highest 
interest,  which  the  wicked  cannot  reach  nor  affect, 
because  that  interest  is  in  the  safe-keeping  of  God 
himself. 

Verses  6-9.  They  that  trust  in  their  wealth,  and  boast  them- 
selves in  the  multitude  of  their  riches;  none  of  them  can  by 
any  means  redeem  his  brother,  nor  give  to  God  a  ranson  for 
him;  (for  the  redemption  of  their  soul  is  precious,  and  it 
ceaseth  for  ever:)  that  he  should  still  live  for  ever,  and  not 
see  corruption. 

Whatever  else  the  rich  man's  wealth  may  pur- 
chase for  him,  it  cannot  purchase  deliverance  from 
the  grave,  either  for  himself  or  for  one  dear  to  him 
as  a  brother.  It  cannot  redeem,  nor  ransom  either, 
that  he  should  still  live  for  ever,  and  not  see  corrup- 
tion. "The  redemption  of  their  soul  is  precious," 
and,  so  far  forth  as  wealth  can  accomplish  it,  it 
ceases  for  ever — is  a  thing  eternally  beyond  its  reach. 


PSALM   XLIX.  6.71 

This  demonstrates  the  folly  of  making  gold  our  hope, 
and  fine  gold  our  confidence.  It  cannot  purchase  us 
one  moment's  life.  Men  have  bid  high,  bid  millions 
for  a  few  years,  a  few  days,  a  few  hours  of  life ;  but 
death  was  deaf  to  their  offer.  It  is  not  with  cor- 
ruptible things,  as  silver  and  gold,  that  the  soul  is 
redeemed,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ. 
1  Pet.  i.  18,  19.  And  yet  the  man  of  the  world  still 
trusts  in  his  wealth  to  secure  him  immortality  and 
bliss,  though  his  own  eyes  should  teach  him  the  folly 
of  it. 

Verse  10.  For  he  seeth  that  wise  men  die,  likewise  the  fool  and 
the  brutish  person  jjerish,  and  leave  their  wealth  to  others. 

Why,  then,  should  he  not  expect  to  depart,  and 
leave  his  substance  to  others — to  strangers'?  He 
cannot  tell  you  why,  and  will  still  dream  of  an  im- 
mortality on  earth,  if  not  in  person,  yet  at  least  in 
name  and  estate,  in  family  and  wealth ;  for. 

Verse  11.  Their  inward  thought  is,  that  their  houses  shall  con- 
tinue for  ever,  and  their  dwelling-places  to  all  generations: 
they  call  their  lands  after  their  own  names. 

This  "  inward  thought"  of  men  of  the  world  that 
they  will  build  up  for  themselves  an  earthly  immor- 
tality through  their  families  and  estates,  may  not  be 
avowed,  still  it  is  the  secretly  cherished  thought  of 
the  heart,  and  the  one  thought  to  the  realization  of 
which  all  their  undertakings  are  directed.  It  is  for 
the  realization  of  this  that  they  think  and  act,  join 
house  to  house,  lay  field  to  field,  and  "call  their 
lands  after  their  own  names."  This  inward  thought 
is  seen  in  the  efforts  made  by  parents  to  give  their 
children  place  and  position  in  the  world.  If  they 
can  but  secure  for  themselves  and  children  wealth 


572  LECTURES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

and  worldly  influence,  riches  and  high  social  stand- 
ing, they  fancy  their  earthly  bliss  laid  upon  a  foun- 
dation that  cannot  be  shaken.  Having  the  present 
well  secured,  and  to  their  mind,  they  can  think  of 
the  future  only  as  the  present  repeated  in  always 
brightening  colours. 

Verse  12.     Nevertheless,  man  being  in  honour  ahideth  not:  he 
is  like  the  beasts  that  perish. 

"Being  in  honour" — in  possession  of  everything 
the  world   lauds    and   admires,   he    "  abideth  not." 
Thoughtless  as  the  beasts  that  perish,  that  have  no 
future,  death  overtakes  him  as  it  overtakes  them, 
wholly  absorbed  in  the  present.     It  was  thus  that 
death  overtook  the   rich  husbandman.     "Being  in 
honour,"  in  the  possession   of  everything  that   his 
heart   coveted,  he   abode   not  therein.     While   the 
words,   "Soul,   thou  hast  much   goods  laid  up  for 
many  years:  take   thine   ease,  eat,   drink,    and   be 
merry,"  were  yet  in  his  mouth,  God  said  to  him, 
"  Thou  fool !  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of 
thee."  Luke  xii.  20.     Hitherto  this  prosperous  hus- 
bandman seems   to  have   been  wholly   absorbed  in 
hoarding,  not  stopping  to  enjoy  his  stores.     At  last, 
however,  he  determined  to  take  his  ease;  and  the 
very  night  in  which  he  first  thought   of  rest  and 
enjoyment,  his  soul  was  required  of  him.     So  has  it 
been  with  many  thousand  men  of  the  world.     Hav- 
ing at  last  acquired  what  they  could  regard  an  inde- 
pendency for  children  and  old  age,  they  retire  to 
enjoy  the  fruit  of  their  labours,  but,  before  they  have 
hardly  tasted  it,  death  dashes  the  cup  from  their  lips. 
"Then  whose  shall  those  things  be  which  they  have 
provided?"     Certainly  not  their  own;  they  can  carry 


PSALM   XLIX.  673 

nothing  away  with  them.  Probably  not  their  chikl- 
ren's;  the  hoardings  of  covetous  selfishness  seldom 
abide  long  in  the  same  family.  A  secret  curse  rests 
upon  such  gains,  and  wastes  them  away,  no  one  can 
tell  how,  or  they  pass  at  once  into  the  hands  of 
others.  Neither  they  nor  their  children  abide  in  the 
honours  which  they  fancied  they  had  secured  beyond 
the  reach  of  harm.  So  the  rich  husbandman  died; 
and  so  the  fool  of  our  psalm  died,  with  no  more 
thought  of  a  future  beyond  this  life,  than  the  unrea- 
soning brute,  that  has  no  future.  We  may  regard 
the  parable  of  the  prosperous  husbandman  as,  in 
part,  representing  the  character  and  destiny  of  the 
worldling  of  our  psalm  in  picture,  and  designed  by 
our  Lord  so  to  represent  it;  for  so  the  majority  of 
the  world  lives,  and  so  the  majority  of  it  dies.  Act- 
ing as  if  there  were  no  future  for  man  but  that 
within  the  bounds  of  sense,  they  slave  themselves  as 
never  bondman  slaved,  to  hoard  what  they  seldom 
enjoy;  for  while  they  are  saying  in  their  hearts, 
Many  years!  many  years!  God  is  answering  them. 
This  night! — thou  fool!  this  night! 

Verse  13.     This  their  way  is  their  folly:  yet  their  posterity  ap- 
prove their  sayings.     Selah. 

"  This  their  way"  of  devoting  themselves  soul  and 
body  to  the  acquisition  of  that  which  they  may  never 
enjoy,  "is  their  folly" — yet  their  posterity  approve 
their  sayings,  adopt  their  maxims  of  worldly  policy, 
and  live  in  the  same  way.  It  matters  not  how  much 
like  fools  men  may  have  lived,  nor  how  much  like 
brutes  they  may  have  died,  they  will  not  lack  imita- 
tors. More  servile  followers  of  each  other  are  no- 
where to  be  found  than  among  those  we  call  "  the 
world" — those  "  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life." 


674  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Veuse  14.  Like  sliecp  they  are  laid  in  the  grave:  death  shall 
feed  on  them ;  and  the  upright  shall  have  dominion  over  them 
in  the  morning;  and  their  beauty  shall  consume  in  the  grave 
from  their  dwelling. 

"The  grave  from  their  chvelling."  The  margin 
renders  these  words,  "  The  grave  being  an  habitation 
to  every  one  of  them."  However  stately  the  dwelUng 
each  erects  for  himself  as  his  earthly  abode,  he  must 
leave  it  for  his  only  permanent  habitation,  the  grave. 
Hither  they  are  driven  and  huddled  together  like 
sheep  in  a  fold,  or  slaughter-house,  and  death  feeds 
on  them.  They  who  fondly  dreamed  of  an  earthly 
immortality,  become  the  food  of  death. 

"And  the  upright  shall  have  dominion  over  them 
in  the  morning."  Here  is  a  morning  spoken  of,  as 
coming  after  the  departure  both  of  the  wise  man,  and 
of  the  fool,  to  the  grave.  What  morning  must  that 
be'?  Certainly  no  other  than  the  morning  of  the  resur- 
rection. That  is  the  morning  when  the  upright  shall 
have  dominion  over  the  wicked.  The  inequalities 
that  existed  in  their  lots  on  earth,  will  then  be  ad- 
justed, and  the  upright  have  the  better  part.  Theirs 
will  be  glory,  and  honour,  and  immortality;  while 
shame  and  everlasting  contempt  will  be  the  lot  of 
those  who  chose  not  God  as  their  portion. 

Verse  15.  But  God  will  redeem  my  soul  from  the  power  of  the 
grave :  for  he  shall  receive  me.      /Selak. 

We  cannot  for  a  moment  suppose  that  the  speaker 
here  expected  to  escape  the  decree,  "Dust  thou  art, 
and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."  He  knew  he  must 
suffer  that — that,  with  those  upon  whom  death  would 
prey  for  ever,  he  must  descend  into  "  the  house  ap- 
pointed for  all  living."  Job  xxx.  23.  And  yet  he 
adds,  "  God  will  redeem  my  soul  from  the  power  of 


'  PSALM   XLIX.  575 

the  grave."  He  speaks  as  one  who  was  persuaded 
that  God  would  raise  him  from  the  death  of  the 
grave  to  immortahty.  It  has  been  contended,  that  a 
life  beyond  the  grave  was  not  revealed  to  the  Old 
Testament  saints.  How  any  one  could  read  this  and 
the  preceding  verse,  and  deny  the  doctrine,  we  cannot 
see;  for,  as  Calvin  justly  remarks,  "He  must  be  more 
than  blind,  that  can  get  over  this  place,  as  if  there 
were  no  mention  made  in  it  of  the  heavenly  life."  It 
was  in  no  doubting  terms  that  the  ancient  believer 
spoke  of  that  life,  saying,  "  Thou  shalt  guide  me  with 
thy  counsel,  and  afterward  receive  me  to  glory."  Ps. 
Ixxiii.  24.  It  was  in  no  doubting  terms  that  Daniel 
spoke  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  eternal 
judgment,  saying,  "Many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the 
dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting 
life,  and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt." 
Dan.  xii.  2.  Our  Lord's  own  words  on  the  same 
subject  are  scarcely  plainer,  and  more  to  the  point, 
where  he  says,  "The  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which 
all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and 
shall  come  forth;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  life;  and  they  that  have  done  evil, 
unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation."  John  v.  28,  29. 
Our  Lord's  teaching  here  is  but  a  re-affirming  that 
of  Daniel.  St.  Paul,  too,  declares  that  the  Jews  of 
his  day  held  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  "both 
of  the  just  and  unjust,"  Acts  xxiv.  15;  and  that  their 
brethren,  in  times  of  persecution,  had  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom, in  attestation  of  their  conviction  of  its  truth, 
Heb.  xi.  35;  and  that  Abraham  "looked  for  a  city 
which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is 
God."  Heb.  xi.  10.     It  is  absurd  to  affirm,  that  the 


576  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

Old  Testament  scriptures  do  not  teach  human  immor- 
taUty  and  future  retribution. 

Verses  16,  17.  Be  not  thou  afraid  when  one  is  made  rich,  when 
the  glory  of  his  house  is  increased.  For  when  he  dieth,  he 
shall  carry  nothing  away:  his  glory  shall  not  descend  after 
him. 

The  man  who  has  "  an  inheritance  incoiTuptible, 
and  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in 
heaven"  for  him,  (1  Peter  i.  4,)  has  small  reason 
indeed  to  fear  or  envy  the  great  and  mighty  of  the 
earth.  As  compared  with  him,  the  richest  of  them 
are  beggars :  all  that  they  have  is  in  this  world ;  and 
not  one  iota  of  it  can  they  carry  away  with  them. 
The  moment  they  come  to  the  grave,  they  enter  on 
an  inheritance  of  everlasting  poverty.  Not  so  the 
upright:  the  moment  he  comes  to  the  grave,  he 
enters  into  the  possession  of  riches  above  what  earth 
can  grant,  and  lasting  as  the  mind. 

Verses  18,  19.  Though  while  he  lived  he  blessed  his  soul: 
(and  men  will  praise  thee  when  thou  doest  well  to  thyself:) 
he  shall  go  to  the  generation  of  his  fathers;  they  shall  never 
see  light. 

Here  is  the  concluding  touch  in  the  description 
of  the  worldling's  death — the  evil  that  follows  it. 
Hitherto  he  has  been  represented  as  one  that  abides 
not  in  his  honours,  and  carries  none  of  his  earthly 
goods  away  with  him.  Up  to  this  point,  in  the 
description  of  his  death,  it  would  seem  to  imply  only 
a  loss  of  earthly  enjoyment.  It  is  in  this  light  that 
the  parable  of  the  prosperous  husbandman  represents 
his  death.  It  goes  not  a  step  beyond,  to  tell  us  spe- 
cifically of  evils  coming  afterwards.  Here,  however, 
in  speaking  of  the  worldling's  joining  the  assembly 
of  his  ancestors  at  his  death,  we  have,  in  the  words, 
"they  shall  never  see  light,"  an  intimation  of  evils 


PSALM   XLIX.  577 

consequent  upoh  death — of  evils  to  which  death 
leads,  and  of  which  it  is  the  beginning.  Never  to 
see  light,  is  never  to  know  what  happiness  is.  This 
then  is  to  be  added  to  the  worlding's  loss  of  all 
•earthly  good:  he  shall,  in  the  world  to  which  he 
goes,  never  see  light;  never  know  what  happiness 
is.  How  sad  must  this  change  be  to  the  man  who, 
while  he  lived,  could  bless  his  soul;  felicitate  himself 
on  wanting  no  earthly  good  that  his  heart  coveted, 
and  was  praised  by  convivial  companions  for  the 
princely  manner  in  which  he  treated  himself,  and 
indulged  every  pleasure  of  sense.  It  is  easy  to  per- 
ceive in  this  man — leaving  every  earthly  good  that 
his  heart  coveted,  never  to  see  light — the  rich  man 
of  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus.  He  evidently 
had  every  temporal  blessing  that  his  heart  could 
wish:  he  was  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and 
fared  sumptuously  every  day ;  but  when  he  died,  and 
was  buried,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  in  hell,  being  in 
torments,  pleading  that  Lazarus  might  be  sent  to  him 
from  heaven,  with  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  his  burn- 
ing tongue.  Luke  xvi.  19-25.  What  righteous  man, 
what  afflicted  Lazarus,  would  envy  such  a  man  his 
lot  in  this  world,  to  take  therewith  his  lot  in  the 
world  to  come'? 

Verse  20.     Man  that  is  in  honour,  and  understandeth  not,  is 
like  the  beasts  that  perish. 

Such  is  the  conclusion  at  which  inspired  wisdom 
arrives,  namely,  that  the  man  who  makes  not  the 
securing  of  a  blissful  immortality  the  great  aim  of 
his  earthly  existence,  makes  no  more  account  of  him- 
self than  if  he  were  verily  a  beast.  He  acts  as  if  the 
divine  endowment  of  reason  were  not  his.  All  his 
49 


678  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

acts  convict  him  of  being  as  unmindful  of  another 
life  as  the  beasts  for  which  there  is  no  such  life. 
Strange  that  such  a  noble  creature  as  man  is  by 
native  endowment,  should  thus  degrade  himself:  a 
creature  made  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  image  of" 
God,  and  capable,  if  he  choose  God  as  a  portion  of  his 
soul,  of  advancing  in  the  glory  of  that  image  till 
neither  angel,  nor  archangel,  shall  stand  higher  than 
he.  And  yet,  endowed  with  the  honour  of  possess- 
ing a  nature  kindred  to  the  Divine,  and  capable  of 
sharing  for  ever  in  all  its  bliss  and  glories,  it  avails 
man  nothing,  if  he  "  understandeth  not,"  if  he  allow 
reason  to  slumber,  and  sense  to  control.  Nor  is  the 
worst  yet  told.  The  man  who  lives  not  for  immor- 
tality, dies  not  altogether  as  the  brute  dies — it  would 
be  well  for  him  if  he  could  so  die — a  death  that  ends 
at  once  all  thought  and  all  feeling — but  he  dies  a 
livi7ig  death,  a  death  wherein  thought  and  feeling 
are,  without  ceasing,  intensely  active,  and  work  the 
soul  at  every  moment  a  deeper  wo.  Read  the  dia- 
logue between  Abraham  in  heaven  and  the  rich  man 
in  hell,  and  you  will  need  no  other  proof  that  the 
death  which  the  losr  soul  endures,  robs  thought  of 
none  of  its  power,  and  feeling  of  none  of  its  inten- 
sity. Luke  xvi.  19-31.  May  God,  for  the  sake  of 
his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  save  us  all  from  the  fearful 
doom  of  having  our  immortal  powers  work  us  im- 
mortal wo. 


PSALM    L.  579 


LECTURE   ON   PSALM   L. 


Verse  1.  The  mighty  God,  even  the  Lord,  hath  spoken,  and 
called  the  earth  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the 
going  down  thereof. 

Many  commentators  have  interpreted  this  psalm  as 
a  description  of  the  final  judgment;  others,  as  a 
description  of  what  would  take  place  at  the  Advent 
and  during  the  personal  ministry  of  the  Messiah. 
Neither  of  these  interpretations  can  be  received  as 
the  right  one.  The  right  interpretation  seems  to  be 
the  following,  viz.  "  The  mighty  God,  even  the  Lord, 
who  appeared  in  such  power  and  majesty  on  Sinai, 
while  giving  the  law  to  his  people,  has  appeared  in 
equal  power  and  majesty  on  Mount  Zion,  to  explain 
it  to  them,  and  teach  them  its  spiritual  import  and 
uses."  This  seems  to  be  the  one  great  aim  of  the 
psalm ;  and  to  the  explanation  of  the  law  and  ritual 
about  to  be  given,  the  whole  "  earth,  from  the  rising 
of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the  same,"  is 
summoned  to  listen. 

Verse  2.  Out  of  Zion,  the  perfection  of  beauty,  God  hath 
shined. 

It  is  not  in  a  physical  and  geographical,  but  in  a 
theological  ^ew^e,  i\i^i  Zion  is  here  called  "the  per- 
fection of  beauty."  It  is  so  called  because  it  was  the 
mountain  of  God's  holiness :  because  God  shone  there 
in  a  light  more  softened  and  effulgent  than  anywhere 
else  on  earth.  He  shone  there  in  the  law,  in  the 
ceremony,  and  in  the  sacrifice,  and  in  each  manifests 
himself  as  the  One  Being  in  whom  all  excellence 


580  LECTURES   ON   THE   PSALMS. 

dwells.  It  was  there  that  he  did  continually  what  he 
promised  Moses  he  would  do,  made  all  his  goodness 
pass  before  his  people,  and  proclaimed  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  (Exod.  xxxiii.  19,)  a  name  in  which, 
whether  read  in  the  revelation  or  the  ritual,  "  truth, 
mercy,  and  justice,  blend  in  infinite  and  indissoluble 
harmony."  Exod.  xxxiv.  5-7. 

Verses  3,  4.  Our  God  shall  come,  and  shall  not  keep  silence;  a 
fire  shall  devour  before  him,  and  it  shall  he  very  tempestuous 
round  about  him.  He  shall  call  to  the  heavens  above,  and 
to  the  earth,  that  he  may  judge  his  people. 

"Our  God,"  he  who  made  a  covenant  with  Abra- 
ham, and  delivered  the  law  from  Sinai,  shall  come, 
"that  he  may  judge  his  people;"  subject  their  con- 
duct to  the  tests  of  his  law,  in  the  presence  of  the 
whole  universe  beside,  cited  to  attend,  not  as  attest- 
ing, but  as  listening  witnesses  to  the  trial.  And  if 
needs  be,  in  order  to  convince  them  that  He  who  is 
now  about  to  speak  to  them  from  Zion,  is  the  same 
who  spake  to  their  fathers  from  Sinai,  the  same  phe- 
nomena shall  attend  his  appearance  here  as  there. 
His  voice  shall  be  heard,  "  he  shall  not  keep  silence ; 
a  fire,"  too,  "shall  devour  before  him,  and  it  shall  be 
very  tempestuous  round  about  him."  The  mighty 
God,  even  the  Lord,  hath  spoken.  What  hath  he 
spoken'?  All  that  follows,  beginning  with  the  fifth 
verse  and  extending  to  the  end  of  the  psalm.  His 
own  first  direct  words  are: 

Verse  5.  Gather  my  saints  together  unto  me;  those  that  have 
made  a  covenant  with  me  by  sacrifice. 

God  calls  his  people  saints — his  holy  ones — be- 
cause he  calls  them  to  be  such;  their  covenant  obli- 
gations to  him  bind  them  to  holiness  and  pureness  of 
living.     Saints,  then,  as  the  word  is  here  used,  indi- 


PSALM    L. 


581 


cates  a  covenant  relation,  rather  than  a  moral  quality. 
It  is,  then,  those  who  knew  and  had  assumed  the 
vows  of  the  law  whom  God  here  cites  to  trial  for 
their  manner  of  observing  it  in  their  worship  of 
Him. 

Verse  6.  And  the  heavens  shall  declare  his  righteousness:  for 
God  is  Judge  himself.  ^Schih. 
When  God  exercises  the  office  of  Judge  in  his 
own  person,  the  heavens — celestial  intelligences — 
can  safely  declare  his  righteousness;  proclaim,  even 
beforehand,  the  rectitude  of  his  every  judicial  deci- 
sion. The  Selah,  following  the  words  "for  God  is 
Judge  himself,"  is  thought  to  indicate  a  solemn  pause 
in  the  proceedings  at  this  point,  a  brief,  significant 
silence  observed  by  the  Judge,  in  order  to  give 
greater  emphasis  to  his  words  that  follow;  which 
read. 

Verse  7.  Hear,  0  my  people,  and  I  will  speak;  0  Israel,  and  I 
will  testify  against  thee :  I  am  God,  even  thy  God. 
This  verse  may  be  regarded  as  the  exordium  of 
the  trial.  It  gives  us  the  names  and  relations  of  the 
parties.  And  although  about  to  test  them  so  severely 
by  applying  his  law  to  their  conduct  in  its  broad 
spirituality,  nevertheless  God  still  calls  Israel  his 
people,  and  himself  their  God.  This  he  no  doubt 
does  both  by  way  of  rebuke  and  of  encouragement. 
It  is  always  so ;  even  in  testifying  against  us,  God 
still  calls  himself  by  some  name  that  inspires  hope. 
If  in  one  breath  he  startles  the  soul  with  the  words, 
"I  will  testify  against  thee,"  he  soothes  it  in  the 
next  with  the  words,  "  I  am  God,  even  thy  God." 
There  is  a  blending  of  light  in  every  aspect  of  his 
character. 

The  first  class  of  delinquents  in   his  Church  to 

49* 


582  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

whom  God  explains  and  applies  his  law  in  its  spirit- 
uality, were  those  who,  while  offering  every  sacrifice 
required  by  the  ritual  of  the  tabernacle,  were  never- 
theless formalists,  wanting  in  piety  to  God.  Vs.  8-15. 
The  second  class  are  those  who,  while  quite  as  full 
and  uniform  in  their  sacrifices  as  the  first,  were 
nevertheless  not  only  formal,  but  immoral;  wanting 
not  only  in  piety  to  God,  but  also  in  justice  to  man. 
Vers.  16-21.  The  first  class  seem  to  be  arraigned 
for  having  violated  the  precepts  of  only  the  first 
table  of  the  Decalogue;  the  second  class  for  having 
violated  the  precepts  of  both.  Addressing  the  whole 
first  class  as  an  individual,  God  says : 

Verses  8-12.  I  will  not  reprove  tliee  for  tliy  sacrifices  or  thy 
burnt-ofFerings,  to  have  been  continually  before  me.  I  will 
take  no  bullock  out  of  thy  house,  nor  he-goats  out  of  thy 
folds:  for  every  beast  of  the  forest  is  mine,  and  the  cattle 
upon  a  thousand  hills.  I  know  all  the  fowls  of  the  moun- 
tains; and  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  are  mine.  If  I  were 
hungry,  I  would  not  tell  thee :  for  the  world  is  mine,  and  the 
fulness  thereof. 

It  is  not  the  offering  of  sacrifices  continually  that 
God  reproves  here;  laws  of  his  own  enacting  re- 
quired it  (Dcut.  xii.  5,  6;)  and  if  it  had  been  omit- 
ted, the  omission  would  have  received  his  severe 
condemnation.  What  he  reproves  here  is  something 
else — is  the  pagan,  materialistic  idea  which  seems  to 
have  crept  into  the  Jewish  mind,  that  God  himself 
needed,  and  was  in  some  way  benefited  by  these  con- 
tinual sacrifices  and  ofterings.  To  this  gross  mis- 
conception of  the  Divine  nature,  and  the  purpose  of 
sacrifices,  God  indignantly  replies,  that  if  such  things 
could  in  any  wise  promote  his  happiness,  he  needed 
not  the  help  of  the  Jew  to  accomplish  the  desires  of 
his  heart,  since  everything  that  the  Jew  could  bring 


rSALM  L.  58B 

to  him  as  an  offering  or  a  sacrifice,  was  already  his — 
"  every  beast  of  the  forest,  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand 
hills,  the  fowls  of  the  mountains,  and  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  field,  the  world,  and  the  fulness  thereof." 
How  absurd  to  suppose  that  such  a  God  could  need 
sacrifices  for  his  own  sake;  or,  if  he  did  need  them, 
that  he  would  apply  to  any  creature  to  make  the 
offering.  If  he  were  in  want,  he  need  apply  to 
none  but  himself  to  supply  his  wants;  hence  his 
words  to  man,  "If  I  were  hungry,  I  would  not  tell 
thee." 

Verse  13.  Will  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls,  or  drink  the  blood  of 
goats  ? 

The  questions  of  this  verse  demand  for  their  answer 
an  indignant  and  emphatic  "No!"  They  are  equiva- 
lent to  God's  saying,  "I,  the  Lord,  am  a  Spirit. 
Being  such,  material  and  bodily  sacrifices  cannot  but 
be  foreign  to  my  very  nature."  This  is  conclusive 
that  material  offerings,  as  the  flesh  and  blood  of  ani- 
mals, could  not  be  necessary  to  him,  nor  bring  him 
refreshment,  if  he  needed  it.  None  but  spiritual 
offerings  could  be  agreeable  to  a  purely  spiritual 
Being.  This  brings  us  to  the  doctrine  proclaimed 
by  our  Lord  to  the  woman  of  Samaria,  saying,  "God 
is  a  Spirit;  and  they /that  worship  him  must  worship 
him  in  spirit  and  in  'truth."  John  iv.  24.  It  is  also 
the  doctrine  taught  in  the  next  verse  of  our  psalm, 
which  reads. 

Verses  14,  15.  Offer  unto  God  thanksgiving;  and  pay  thy 
vows  unto  the  Most  High:  and  call  upon  nie  in  the  day  of 
trouble;  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me. 

Paraphrase. — "  Offer  unto  God" — not  without  it, 
but  with  the  material  and  animal  offering — "thanks- 
giving;" and  so  "pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most  High." 


684  LECTUllES    ON   THE    PSALMS. 

Then  "call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble:  I  will 
deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me."  Such  is 
God's  own  interpretation  of  the  import  and  uses  of 
the  various  offerings  and  sacrifices  of  the  tabernacle. 
They  were  pleasing  to  him,  and  useful  to  the  wor- 
shipper, only  as  they  were  offered  with  thanksgiving^ 
that  is,  with  a  grateful  and  believing  heart.  So 
offered,  the  sacrifice  procured  for  the  offerer  the  par- 
don of  his  sins;  paid  his  "vows  unto  the  Most  High," 
fulfilled  the  requirements  of  the  Divine  law;  and 
obtained  for  him  God's  sure  promise  of  henceforth 
hearing  and  delivering  him  whenever  he  should  call 
upon  him  in  the  day  of  trouble ;  and  of  so  delivering 
him  as  to  give  him  continual  cause  to  glorify  Him  for 
his  mercies.  Thus  early  in  the  history  of  his  Church 
did  God  proclaim  the  spirituality  of  its  ritual,  and 
protest  against  the  opus  operatum  dogma  in  regard  to 
its  sacraments,  that  they  convey  the  grace  of  life  to 
the  recipient,  not  only  where  faith  is  present  and 
operative,  but  also  where  it  is  wholly  wanting,  if  so 
be  there  be  in  the  mind  of  the  recipient  no  actual 
opposition,  no  positive  disbelief.  It  is  a  dogma  that 
ignores  not  only  thanksgiving,  but  also  repentance, 
faith,  and  obedience.  "  Offer  unto  God  thanksgiv- 
ing— and  so  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most  High." 
Implying,  as  it  does  here,  repentance,  faith,  and  obe- 
dience, this  one  word,  thanksgiving^  cannot  but 
recall  to  every  one  familiar  with  it,  a  portion  of  the 
Communion  Service  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  where,  in  presenting  Christ  to  the  worship- 
per, as  the  vicarious  sacrifice  for  his  sins,  we  bid  him, 
while  receiving  the  sacred  emblems  in  remembrance 
that  Christ  died  for  him,  to  feed  on  him  in  his  heart 
by  faith  "  with  thanksgiving."     We  use  words  of  the 


PSALM   L.  586 

same  import  in  presenting  the  cup,  saying  to  the 
recipient,  "Drink  this  in  remembrance  that  Christ's 
blood  was  shed  for  thee,  and  be  thankful."  The 
teaching  of  our  Communion  Service  is  altogether  in 
keeping  with  the  teaching  of  the  verse  now  before 
us.  Who  then  can  fail  to  see  that  any  other,  either 
offering,  or  receiving,  as  the  great  sacrifice  for  the 
sins  of  the  world,  must  have  been  the  emptiest  for- 
mality, and  utterly  without  value  in  the  sight  of  God, 
who  looketh  only  upon  the  heart. 

Verses  16 — 20.  But  vmto  tlie  wicked  God  saitli,  What  liast 
thou  to  do  to  declare  my  statutes,  or  that  thou  shouklest 
take  my  covenant  in  thy  mouth?  Seeing  thou  hatest  instruc- 
tion, and  castest  my  words  behind  thee.  When  thou  sawest 
a  thief,  then  thou  consentedst  with  him,  and  hast  been  par- 
taker with  adulterers.  Thou  givest  thy  mouth  to  evil,  and 
thy  tongue  frameth  deceit.  Thou  sittest  and  speakest  against 
thy  brother;  thou  slanderest  thine  own  mother's  son. 

We  come  now  to  the  second  class  of  delinquents 
in  his  Church,  to  whom  God  explains  and  applies 
the  ritual  law  in  its  broad  spirituality.  This  second 
class  are  deficient,  not  only  in  piety  to  God,  but  also 
injustice  to  man;  they  are  not  formal,  but  immoral, 
men,  who,  as  Calvin  forcibly  remarks,  "under  a 
cloak  of  ceremonies  conceal  an  unclean  heart  and  a 
wicked  life."  Hence  God  describes  this  as  wicked, 
as  hating  instruction  and  casting  it  behind  their 
backs;  as  holding  fellowship  with  thieves  and 
adulterers;  as  wholly  given  up  to  framing  deceit; 
and  as  habitually  slandering  their  nearest  kin,  even 
an  own  mother's  son.  Says  God  to  this  wicked  pro- 
fessor of  his  religion. 

Verse  21.  These  things  hast  thou  done,  and  I  kept  silence; 
thou  thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether  such  an  one  as  thy- 
self: but  1  will  reprove  thee,  and  set  them  in  order  before 
thine  eyes. 

"Set  them" — thy  sins — "in  order   before    thine 


586  LECTURES  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

eyes."  And  that  he  has  certainly  done  in  the  dark 
catalogue  of  sins  just  repeated.  The  godless  pro- 
fessor must  certainly  feel  himself  reproved  when  he 
reads  that  catalogue  of  sins  as  his  own.  It  certainly 
should  convince  him  that  God  is  not  "altogether 
such  an  one"  as  himself  in  his  estimate  of  sin;  that 
Divine  forbearance  cannot  be  construed  into  ap- 
proval, nor  Divine  silence  into  forgetfulness. 

Verse  22.  Now  consider  this,  ye  that  forget  God,  lest  I  tear  you 
in  pieces,  and  there  be  none  to  deliver. 

This  verse  is  addressed  to  both  classes  of  delin- 
quents described  in  this  psalm,  and  is  a  call  upon 
each  to  flee  without  delay  from  the  wrath  to  come, 
lest,  like  Esau,  when  they  would  inherit  the  blessing, 
they  should  find  no  place  for  repentance,  though  they 
should  seek  it  carefully  with  tears.  Heb.  xii.  17.  The 
last  verse  of  our  psalm  is  little  else  than  a  repetition 
and  re-statement  of  the  terms  of  salvation  already  set 
forth.     It  reads, 

Verse  23.  Whoso  offereth  praise  [thanksgiving]  glorifieth  me: 
and  to  him  that  ordereth  his  conversation  aright  will  I  show 
the  salvation  of  God. 

AVhat  God  hath  joined,  let  not  man  put  asunder. 
If  he  hath  joined  a  life  of  prayer  and  praise  to  holy 
obedience,  we  separate  them  at  our  peril.  "Hath  the 
Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt-ofl'erings  and  sacrifices 
as  in  obeying  the  voice  of  the  Lordl  Behold,  to  obey 
is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken,  than  the  fat 
of  rams."  1  Sam.  xv.  22. 


THE     END. 


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